Endless Cycle of Exile
by Zerodius
Summary: Although still young, Spyro has experienced lifetimes worth of adventure, travelling through countless Realms. Yet, there is one Realm that stand before him, a Realm unlike any others... as well as a foe unlike anything he has ever seen or fought before..
1. Prologue: Agony of Innocense

OFF: Beginning of a long chaptered fic about Spyro. This story mix elements from old Spyro games with the new scenario introduced in A New Beginning. Although knowledge of the games might help, this fic was made in such a way that regardless of if you played the games or not, you will be able to understand the fic. 

Note that this fic's prologue is MEANT to be confusing. The plot elements mentionned will only make sense once the plot start to thicken. Also, this is not an one-shot and it is not a non-Spyro Spyro fic (in the way that despite what happens in the prologue, Spyro's appearance is certainly not limited to the prologue at all).

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**Prologue: Agony of Innocence**

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"The past hurt, isn't it? The more you fight, the more painful the events unfolding... and the more furiously you fight, to forget it all. An endless, vicious circle..."

Emptiness... vacuum... only dreamless sleep...

"You have been used all your life... and you know it. All your life, people making you out into what you are not, treating you in such ways because of the prophecies..."

... but the Darkness... was not total...

"Suffering... you have felt much of it, although little physical. This is the fate of weak Dragonfly-bound dragons... weaklings who can't bear to face the world alone and use living shields to suffer for them."

... a taint of crimson... like a flow of blood from the sky covering him entirely... It was a dream and yet... it felt so real...

"... but you are not like the others. You are not a coward or a weakling... yet, everyone assume you are. All you wished... was for peace and quiet... for happiness... but they chose you. You were thrown into the fires of war. They made you into a "hero"..."

It's then that he realized... that it was not a dream. Everything... was getting dark. Spyro gasped for air... but the blood filling his throat blocked it out. He could feel pain everywhere... absolutely everywhere... and his eyes... bleeding... blood... his eyes were no more, blind he was and he knew it...

"Ever since they plunged you into Darkness, never did they allow you to emerge. Submerged into Darkness, you were progressively forged by the hellish flames of Evil... may you like it or not. You grew violent, brutal, and merciless like your foes. Your fears vanished. Your innocence... vanished."

His wings? Couldn't feel them. His left hind leg felt... this angle... it was broken. So was his right arm. His chest... he felt as if the wind was blowing straight through his chest and hammered into his heart. It hurt so much... and he can feel it... this warm feeling...

"But still... everyone ignored your Fall. No one cared if you had become a Fallen Dragon as long as you protected the Realms from what had now become your own element and kind. Nobody became worried from your Vaccum Breath. No nobody paid attention to your newfound ability to turn anger into power. No one paid attention to how you now torn apart your foes and fought them with mindless fury, like a soulless beast... after all, you were a "hero". Who cares who you are and what you do, as long as the Realms remain safe?"

Sparx... they had always been close as they were raised together. Brothers, friends, and allies... but then, a sense of intense disgust and sadness came over to him...

"Your Realm, your true Realm... is long gone. Your kind... your original kind, extinct, you being the last of your kind along with her. But she is beyond your grasp now, condemned by those who made you into a "hero". You are alone... and you know it."

Regrets... and sadness. He was still young and many trusted him. He couldn't break their hearts and let them down. He just couldn't. He tried to get up... but his entire body was shaken by intense pain as something pierced through his left shoulder, causing him to lose his other arm. Blue mixed to the swirling crimson Darkness... tears.

"But what truly killed you was not even all of this... but rather, your brother... and your soul mate. Both vanished through the actions of the Realms... Your brother, Sparx, the dragonfly. Never did you ever wanted him to share your pain. Never did you asked him to take the hits for you and to see you as his burden. All you asked of him was to be a friend... but in the end, he was consumed. Pressure, feelings of being useless, obligations dictated by others, the refusal to see you suffer... in the end, he gave in and you saw the spiritual death of your brother little by little..."

He coughed violently, feeling thick, warm blood fill his throat once again. His heart was beating too fast, his entire body bleeding, the Darkness pulsating as he went through a violent agony. The warm feeling amplified...

"Then... there was her. She rejected this world, which both of you hated, to follow you. She saw you as you truly were... but accepted it. You were both all the same... and she saw in you the symbol that her beliefs were not in vain... as well as someone who saw her as who she was truly and appreciated it. You were always bothered by her extreme personality... but in the end, you followed what your heart dictated. Through the very last of the cursed stones, you carved the Promised Heart out of Dark Gem... and you gave her the right half while she kept the left one. However, the promise was so easily broken... by him... by... Mighty."

The Darkness flashed... images of a golden dragonfly flashed before his eyes. His brother, Sparx... Then, there was the black dragon, Cynder. Fallen, lost... yet, he always longed to have her return to her former self. Hunter... a true friend, who stood by his side. Elora, a magician that always stood with him... and then, a pink female dragon... Ember... and he felt his entire spirit crushed, his will to survive turning into despair. The final flashes before death... he struggled to keep them at bay. He didn't want to lose them... to lose them... even if he had already lost them.

"Ember... she was the one, isn't it? Yet, in an instant, heartbroken by her kind, she was driven into the arms of Mighty... and to make matters worse... it was you who was designed with the task to destroy the relationship yourself. You stood alone, prey to unspeakable pain... and yet, they still asked you to continue being their "hero" as if nothing had happened. In the end... you decided to end it all."

The flashes stopped... and time seemed to freeze.

Spyro, suddenly strangely lucid, stood there... and he felt... one last feeling, stronger than all the others.

Satisfaction...

The Realms... ungrateful, heartless monsters. They stole everything from him... His childhood, his innocence, his dreams, his friends, his love, his hope, his future... and even his pain.

He was not allowed to suffer or die. He was not allowed failure nor weakness. Sparx, the sole one which they did not consume in body, suffered an unimaginable torture. While he kept living as a ghost, used as a puppet to fight whatever petty villain rose at random, his brother screamed his lungs out as the pain torn him apart. Every time he was being slashed, sliced, crushed, burnt, frozen, shocked, or otherwise injured, it was he, his brother, who suffered it all...

He was a ghost, forced to follow him. He had given in, forgetting all about himself, losing any sense of self. He was no longer his brother... he was his protector, a being who had no identity of its own and acted as a living suit of armor.

He had decided... to end it all.

To feel the pain he was meant to suffer... the one he, and only he, had ever been supposed to feel.

Maybe this was why he cut the connection... and as he felt his entire body broken, Spyro stopped fighting the Darkness. It was what was meant to be... the pain, suffering, agony, and death he had always wished to go through.

Rather than live as a joke of a hero, used and tortured mentally, he would give his life to protect the Realms. Just the beauty of the gesture reminded him of why he had accepted his first journey and why he had continued to fight despite losing everything.

The warm feeling disappeared and he welcomed the cold of lonely death. He allowed himself to lie down, rolling his eyes, the blue fading as only crimson and emptiness made up his vision...

"However... there is something else to it all... For although the prophecies as they know it might not be true... the do have a base... a base that is very true..."

All of those thoughts... it was his own and yet... he had never thought about such things. Was it all... a dream? The final dream?

"Every ten millenias, a purple dragon is born they say... but you know very well, that this is false. There is no such thing as a purple dragon..."

... but there is such thing as a dream reborn...

"... isn't it... Spyro?"

He was obviously agonizing... yet, it was not going to end. For some reason, he was convinced that he would wake up... he didn't know why... but he would. He just... would...

Breathe... breathe... and the slow beat of a heart... his own...

... and then... there was silence. No more breathing, heart no longer beating...

... then, a scream... Sparx's.

It echoed for what seemed to be an eternity and then, nothing.

Such relaxing silence... and such a peaceful moment...

The Darkness came to him and welcomed him, its motherly embrace bringing cold, dreamless sleep. The Darkness engulfed his soul and clouded his perceptions, singing silently to the young dragon a lullaby of no music and no words.. Spyro finally closed his eyes, his weariness and nightmares disappearing, peaceful rest overcoming his mind...

At long last... peace and quiet. Sleeping in silence. Resting in peace...

.. and yet...

... half of a crystal heart continued to beat even with its glow gone, as if the light had not truly vanished ansd that it was simply awaiting for it to return once again...

The legend did not end.

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**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 1: Back to Reality

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Chapter 1: Back to Reality

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Spyro rested in peace... yet, his sleep was disturbed by a nightmare... the same, reccuring nightmare... over and over again...

It was a strange nightmare... about a battle he could not win... or rather, one he chose not to win. It was a surrender... and something about manipulation. A very different perception from what he had.

As he went to sleep in the nightmare, he grew restless in his reality, waking up and becoming unable to get some decent sleep.

It was not that he wasn't tired... for he was really, really tired. It was not that he was scared... the nightmare was not of a scary nature. No... it haunted him, taunted him in another way... one he could not fully grasp.

The nightmare was ridiculous... but this doubt killed his peace of mind.

Growling a bit, the dragon forced himself to get up despite the hour and his own state.

Slowly, a sound was heard... buzzing... the sound of insect wings. Spyro knew it was Sparx, his adoptive brother, best friend, and most precious ally. Glitering in mystical gold light, the dragonfly flew in front of the dragon, staring at him.

"Can't get sleep either?" asked the insect in his relatively high-pitched voice. Spyro simply nodded as an answer. "Same nightmare?"

"Same nightmare." answered Spyro.

Both of them had the same nightmare, night after night... a shared nightmare, from both sides. It all felt so real and yet, so unreal at the same time. It taunted them, telling them of an imminent self-inflicted death motivated by a loss of all.

What haunted them was how real the nightmare seemed to be and how it returned, night after night... as well as how, if they followed the nightmare's logic, they had already lost everything. Yet, in the two's opinions, they had lost nothing. What was wrong with them, within this dream? Why was the usually optimistic and brave purple dragon shown as a cursed, tainted being who had given up on life?

Maybe it was nothing in truth... but it bothered them.

Both stood there, silently, looking at each others. They couldn't get back to sleep... yet, they couldn't just sit there. "Usual?" asked the dragon to his dragonfly partner. Sparx nodded. "Yep. Usual."

Every night, the nightmare struck... every night, they chased it away by walking through the Dragon Village, the core of the Dragon Kingdom Realm, their home.

It has been many years since they arrived. They were both baby dragons when they arrived... yet, already, they had experienced their first journey before even stepping inside their new home.

Back in his own Realm, he was the last of his kind alongside Cynder. The very last eggs perished during the last Year of the Dragon, none of them hatching... except for his, and Cynder's, a female black dragon. But she was taken away by evil beings and brainwashed. He had escaped such a fate because that Ignitus, the Fire Guardian and one of the four last surviving adult dragons excluding the newborn hatchlings, had sent him away to the unknown when he was still in his egg.

A dragonfly couple found him and then, he hatched at the same time as the couple's own egg... and Spyro and Sparx were raised as brothers... or so was the original plan.

Barely that he begun to be able to walk on his own that fate called to him. Called by the four Elemental Dragons, the hatchling and his "brother" were told of a prophecy and thus, were sent on a quest to defeat Cynder before she could release a creature known as "Dark Master".

In the end, against all odds, Spyro and Sparx proven that they were not your average random kids and overcame all odds, defeating Cynder and preventing the release of "Dark Master". Cynder, who had been turned into a monster, was restored to her original form and freed from the entity's control.

It was then that it was decided that he, and Cynder, deserved a future. He and the black female dragon were sent to other Realms to find their lives... and it was the last of Cynder that he saw.

Ignitus... the fire guardian. Excluding his adoptive dragonfly parents, he was the closest to a parent that he ever had... and parting with him was incredibly painful. Now, he live within a Realm populated by dragons... and fate called to him repeatedly.

He could barely mature a little bit, becoming a proper child, that he was forced into facing many foes. Gnasty Gnorc, an ugly humanoid creature bent on revenge on the dragons. The Sorceress, an abomination from outter space. Ripto, a dwarf reptilian magician wielding great power. Red, a corrupt dragon who abused the Dark Power... and eventually, he faced the so-called Dark Master in his own world and destroyed him.

Many journeys... all in his childhood... and a child, he still is. His friends sometimes joked that his fate was to live and die young... but living through several lifetimes-worth of experiences within a few years have a way to make one's soul mature early. Although his body was that of a kid, his mind was sharp and clear, his soul already way ahead of his body in terms of age. If his small size and generally under-developed body didn't give him away, many would confuse him for a physically mature teenage dragon about to become an adult.

Suddenly, he was brought out of his memories by an upset Sparx, who had softly rammed the side of his head. "Hey! Wake up, big guy! You aren't going to stand there all-night, are you?" said the dragonfly in an obviously annoyed tone.

Sparx... he was a dragonfly, it is a fact. While dragonflies were just regular critters where he came from, within this Realm, dragonflies are useful to dragons in a rather special way...

Dragonflies, in this Realm, acted as protectors and guides. Bound to dragons via an unbreakable magical bind, they had the duty of helping them and protecting them until the end of their lives. Dragons were known to have the ability to bind their hearts to others', sharing feelings, powers, vitality, even thoughts with other beings... The bind was taking advantage of this. Thanks to the binds, dragonflies were the ones who suffered physical harm and thus, dragons from this Realm feared not injury.

Sparx and himself shared a similar connection... but this one was different from all the others. While other dragonflies were bound by force to their dragon, Sparx had chosen out of his own free will to become his partner. Unlike the other dragonflies, Sparx was not forced to suffer for him, to take the wrath of enemies in place of him... but he did it anyway, to make himself useful. Spyro kept telling him that it was not needed... but well, Sparx can be stubborn at times and the fact that he felt pain without being actually injured was an advantage in some situations...

Judging from Sparx's expression, his little face showing a frown, the dragon judged that it was best to leave the thoughts and remniscences for later.

Slowly, the purple dragon finally moved. Walking on his four, the small infant dragon walked toward the exit of the meadow, the insect following after him.

"Agony of Innocence... a glimpse of what is to come..." Spyro wondered... why did he think this? The thought had come out of nowhere...

Oh well, this usually happened after the nightmare. Probably a last remnant of it...

The sky was black, stars visible in the sky. Spyro's little paws moved rythmatically as he went through the grass, going through wherever the wind would lead him. Maybe toward his friends or who knows what. Maybe some gems? He was a dragon after all and had this habit of hoarding valuable objects such as precious stones and gold in a big pile, at a place that was designated as his own. Still, to say that he was greedy would be a mistake for he saw little value in the shiny objects. It was the search and the action of placing his paws upon the objects, claiming them as his, that motivated him to continue to do so. Once claimed, he quickly gave them away, may it be by buying from Moneybags, the Realm-travelling merchant, or simply giving them away to random people, friends and unknown people alike. Besides, as many of the foes he met had this ability to morph treasure into minions, it was best that he took as many as possible during his journeys...

This Realm was a beautiful one. Fresh air, pure water, abondant currents of magical energy in the air, an awe-inspiring shining sun during the day, a nether too bright nor too faint moon during the night, plenty of peaceful wild life... this was a rather nice place.

The Realms... it was how the different dimensions were called. Thanks to advanced magic and technology, this was an era where the limits of space and time were nullified. Creatures from all eras and variations of the world travelled freely between Realms, magical and technological portals linking the different worlds...

Spyro liked the Realms he knew... but he wondered...

What happened of his own, original Realm? The Dragon Land Realm? He had asked both the fairies and the Professor, a mole scientist specialized in Realm travelling and other transporation machinery, to try to create a portal toward this Realm... but neither the power of Magic nor Science worked. For a strange reason, the portals were leading nowhere... as if the Realm had vanished out of thin air.

It was so strange... and in a way, it filled him with sadness. He wondered how the Elemental Guardians would react, seeing him as he is now, the fine young hero that he is...

"Again. So... what's the matter?" Sparx interrupted, visibly upset.

"Huh? Ha... I'm sorry. Just thinking a bit..." replied the purple dragon to his partner, who floated there, rolling his eyes.

"Really? Of what?" Spyro didn't feel in the mood for this but well, considering he has been slowing down Sparx for a while with his memory, he guessed he owed him an explanation. "Just... thinking of how far we have come since we left the swamp..."

At this moment, Spyro immediately regretted talking about their home Realm. Ever since they had left their home Realm, they had never been able to return or get any news. Both of them lost, in a way, their families in it. Spyro lost both of his adoptive parents while Sparx lost his biological parents.

The distance and impossibility to return home had taken its toll on the two young souls... and in a way, it was always painful to think of the Dragon Land Realm. Spyro remembered the swamp where he was born, the temple where the Guardians lived, the islands... It was a Realm much different from this one, with a different culture, history... most of all, it once was his birthplace and origin... and now, it was lost.

Never would he see the ethereal plains again, the ancient ruins, soar through the skies of this place...

Soaring through the sky...

If Spyro missed one thing from his past... it was flying.

Through his first journey, he discovered his powers, one by one... and even abilities he never knew he had. However, when confronted to Cynder's mutated form during the final battle, he was pushed so far that his young, infant body could not take it. When he forced the tremendous amount of power out of his body to produce the final attack, he damaged his own body... probably beyond repair. His breath ability disappeared, his physical strength vanished, his entire shape was torn apart... especially his wings, which never recovered.

Back when he hadn't discovered that he was a dragon and didn't knew how to fly, it was a bit frustrating and sad that he couldn't fly... but never as much as it is now, the memories of actual flight in his mind. He had tried to learn again how to fly... without success.

All of those memories...

"Spyro? I think... you should look at this..." Sparx's tone... the purple dragon was forced out of his thoughts and saw something.

There was a shadow... a weird shadow of sorts...

"Finally... I am stable enough. Now... I guess it is time for your next journey to begin... the journey that shall be your last." neither the dragon nor the dragonfly could describe what was standing before them. All that they knew was that a shadow, about Spyro's size, was standing before them, staring at them. Floating just next to the first shadow, a second shadow, exactely Sparx's size. Both of them had a definite appearance and yet... for some reason, it was impossible to grasp their forms.

"Who are you? Some kinds of shadows, weird, thingy stuff bad guys?" asked Sparx, making gestures to try to express his thoughts, words failing to qualify what stood before the two.

They saw no movement and yet, they could swear that the two shadows smiled. "Bad guys? Us? If it is the way you want to see us... then bad guys we are. I am Vanguard... and the small one Verdun. I am sure that you shall hear much about us in the following days." the voice came from nowhere... but both knew it was the larger shadow that was speaking. For some reason, they just... knew it.

"Well, we would stay and chit-chat... but well, I guess nightmares aren't too fun anymore so we'll just do something real this time. Keep your eyes peeled for our tricks, hero people!" a taunt from the smaller shadow. Again, it was unknown how they could tell considering the voice echoed in their heads in such an eerie way. But then... the total lack of expression, tone, or anything remotely similar to a real voice was rather troubling. It was as if the two things were not talking at all... yet, Spyro and Sparx heard voices very clearly, from the two shadows... although they never did speak. It was so very strange...

"We shall let you sleep peacefuly... for now. Tomorrow, your journey begin... and so will our game!" with that said, the large shadow turned around and walked away, disappearing in unknown mysts that defied the two's perceptions and vocabulary while the smaller shadow followed.

"What was that all about?!?" asked Sparx... before he realized that Spyro had fallen asleep instantly. He barely had the time to react that he felt himself drifting off as well...

Nightmares ending... nightmares beginning... What is which? Are they even nightmares to begin with?

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Chapter 2: Ordinary Foes, Abnormal Event

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**Chapter 2: Ordinary Foes, Abnormal Events**

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"So... your nightmares stopped..." said the Professor.

The purple male dragon nodded. "Yeah. Ever since that weird dream, I stopped having nightmares." stated Spyro.

"... me too!" added Sparx.

The mole scientist slowly nodded while he thought about it. A recurrent dream about death... and then, out of a sudden, it stops with two unknown figures that were obviously evil speaking about how they would act? "Well... the most probable theory is that your constant adventures traumatized you both. As you must know, you are both very young... actually, although your minds have matured from your adventures, your bodies are that of children... and you do have some mental characteristics from children..."

"Which means...?" interrupted Sparx, obviously not willing to hear a long-winded explanation he wouldn't understand. A glare from the purple dragon nearby convinced the dragonfly from letting the mole speak.

Said mole cleared his throat and then, the Professor resumed. "Anyway... as I was saying... you mustn't forget that you aren't mature. As such, I believe that facing all those foes and villains eventually gave you nightmares. In order to exorcise such nightmares, you made up those imaginary villains, Vanguard and Verdun. By giving a form that you could fight to your fears, you could overcome your nightmares."

Spyro and Sparx looked at each others. It was very possible indeed and although the two had a pretty big ego that prevented them from being affected by fear much or rather, from facing their fears much, the two could only admit that it was very possible and very logical even...

"HOWEVER!" the Professor called, bringing the duo out of their thoughts. "One mustn't forget that there is such a thing as Magic... and that as such, there are such things as visions. It is very probable that Vanguard and Verdun were actually real villains that contacted you through your nightmares... and the fact that you both used to have the same shared nightmares makes this theory possible as well..."

While Spyro continued to listen, Sparx, him, crossed his arms. "So you mean that you don't know?" asked the dragonfly, annoyed. Another glare... "Okay okay... I'll shut up!"

"Well..." begun the Professor anew. "... it IS true that I do not know for sure..." at this moment, both the dragon and insect sighed, causing the elderly mole scientist to be the one to be annoyed this time. "HOWEVER!" once again, the two were listening. "... as you already know, I am an expert in nearly every field of science and in the physics of Magic... so the chance of either of my theories being wrong is actually very low."

Spyro slowly sat down, satisfied, grinning. Sparx, on another hand, had a big frown on his face, shaking his head, arms crossed.

"Now... as for the reason I called you to my lab..." the mole approached the room's terminal and pressed a button causing a massive screen to come out of the ceiling. All three creatures turned to face it as the scientist loaded into the computer the file he wished to show them...

On-screen, a video was shown. A horde of humanoid rhinoceros running around, breaking everything they found, causing disorder, and otherwise playing nasty tricks on every single creature they ran into.

"Ripto, the evil magician, has once again attempted to take over the Realms! He has once again enlisted those nefarious Rhynocs from the Forgotten Realm to help him in his evil plans!... and as usual, your assistance would be appreciated in overthrowing the villain's latest attempt at world domination." explained to two very exasperated creatures.

Spyro's eyes narrowed and he turned to Sparx. Both rolled their eyes. Ripto. Again. ALWAYS Ripto. That stupid Ripto who always come up with silly plans to take over the world. That stupid Ripto who never thought about making his cape fireproof. Toasted he shall be, once again... and by the great Spyro, again. Always by Spyro. Because nobody else think about doing it and since, anyway, nobody does it better than Spyro. After all... while Ripto was routine for the purple dragon, he remained a very dangerous and relatively clever tyrant. Agent 9, Sergeant Byrd, and other people had tried to stop him single-handily before, whenever may it be because they were threatened or to save Spyro some work. Every time, Ripto's magic had been too much for them. Spyro would do it in the end, like always...

It's then that Sparx came up with his own theory. "Hey Spyro! You know... Ripto is a magician, right?" Spyro stared at Sparx with a "DUH!" expression on his face. "Well... maybe it was Ripto, after all! Remember how the Vanguard shadow was strangely small? Well... it could have been Ripto in disguise!"

"Actually, this is an interesting theory!" the Professor smiled. "Ripto is, indeed, a powerful wizard. It is highly possible he could have found a new magic spell book that allow him to manipulate dreams. In fact... this is maybe even better than my theories!" he turned to the screen and took out a remote. He then stopped the record at a specific moment... Ripto casting a certain spell. "Indeed... Ripto was able to pull off his latest attempt by casting a powerful spell on the guardians of each Realm during their sleep. Maybe the nightmares you were having was a test of his spell or an attempt to use what defeated the guardians of the Realms on you!"

Spyro considered it all. Maybe it was Ripto behind it all after all... like always. In a way, things were getting more interesting now. Was Ripto finally getting smarter? This might be fun after all...

The dragon got on his four and turned to Sparx. "Well, whatever it was... Ripto is taking over the Realms and we'll beat him, as usual! Let's go, Sparx!"

"I'm right behind you, buddy!... actually, I'm right in front of you!" answered the dragonfly.

The Professor, satisfied with the situation, turned to the terminal. "Good! Now I'll unlock the door so you two can..."

CRASH!

"... go on..." the Professor turned to see a Spyro-shaped hole in his door. "... with... your..." he stopped and a feeling of intense frustration hammered into his soul. His eyes widened and the mole couldn't help but grit his teeth. "It's the fifth time this week! I had ENOUGH!"

Of course, Spyro did not hear that.

888888888888

Outside, things were as one would expect during one of Ripto's attempts to take over the worlds. Well... one had to remember that in Ripto's mouth, "to take over the world" was more about bullying people than really ruling over them. As such, rather than terrorizing the countryside, trying to force the population into Ripto's bidding, the Rhynoc soldiers serving under the evil wizard were just running around rather aimlessly, destroying what they could, bullying anyone they found for little to no good reason.

... and as usual, a purple dragon will crash their party and make things very, very painful for them.

At the edge of town, two dragons stood before a pack of Rhynocs. Ember, the female pink dragon, and Flame, an equally young red dragon. The large rhinoceros were wearing ridiculous green soldier uniforms and were pointing old style guns at the two, ready to fire. Of course, as the Rhynocs were bullies, not murderers, the guns contained no bullets... but it still was enough to annoy the female and terrorize the male.

"I... I will pr-pr-protect you!" Flame stood in front of the female, shaking in fear. The female dragon rolled her eyes and sighed. "Those are just three Rhynoc clowns..." muttered Ember.

The three evil humanoids laughed in a rather goofy way, wondering of the way they could beat up the female dragon to show her that they meant business... but they didn't wonder very long, not that they found an idea. It was more because of the fact that a purple blur slammed straight into the left Rhynoc, sending it tumbling toward a conveniently placed cliff.

Flame's eyes widened and a huge smile came to his face as Spyro had arrived. Ember, her, seemed pained for a second and turned to the side, trying to ignore the course of events.

"It's Spyro! GET'IM!" yelled one of the three Rhynocs... but the two others ignored him, the second being busy helping the third one not fall off the cliff.

Spyro just stood there, waiting for the three idiots to position themselves, Sparx hovering silently near him... well, maybe not so silently. "Man! What a bunch of losers! They never learn, don't they?"

The reptile smiled confidently. "Indeed. They just keep on coming, no matter how many times we humiliate them." the dragon shook his head and a fake, sarcastic sigh escaped his throat. "Guess they must actually like losing to us all the time..."

Spyro's insult did its work, infuriating the Rhynocs. The closest one, the one who had given the order, charged forward, dropping his gun and flailing his arms around like a maniac... only to receive a headbutt in the stomach that sent him flying while the second one, in the back, decided to let the third one fall to his death so he could run after Spyro as well!

With the Rhynoc in the air, the dragon placed himself on his hind legs and waited for it to come down... and then...

SMACK!

He smacked his tail straight into the Rhynoc with great strength, sending him flying!

BAM!

Direct hit! The flying Rhynoc collided into the running one!... which hurled both of them off the cliff. Three less Rhynocs in the Realms!

"Too easy!" commented proudly Spyro after taking care of the three idiotic enemies. He turned to face the ones he had just saved... and his smile disappeared.

Flame was staring at him adoringly... but frankly, Spyro couldn't care less. He knew very well why the dragon was so hell-bent on being like him... and frankly, he despised the red-colored hypocrite. The fact that he was basically identical to him except for the bright red color and slightly taller although weaker frame was creepy. As such, he paid little attention to the red dragon...

It was Ember who was attracting his attention...

She turned to face him. Her gaze was cold... very cold. Ever since the Sorcerer incident, she had always been rather cold to him. He had thought that her new relationship with Mighty would make her forget... but it was seemingly not the case. In fact... he had always felt weird, himself... as if he had lost something but didn't know what. It was so awkward and it made him feel bad... very bad.

"Those were just a few Rhynocs. We did not need your help." her voice was cold, icy cold too. Spyro remembered... it used to be warm. Ember was once a bundle of energy full of happiness and life but now... she had changed. She was cold, distant, as if somewhere else...

"Sheesh! So much for gratitude!" commented the dragonfly. Ember glared angrily at the insect... "Nobody asked you, mosquito!"

"Hey! I'm not a mosquito!" it was a known fact... Sparx could shoot out insults at a frightening pace yet, he cannot stomach even the slightest counter. Although Spyro sometimes took advantage of this, in this case, it was not the time to argue. He simply turned to Sparx and made a small gesture. The dragonfly rolled his eyes, understanding. "Yeah yeah, I got it. I'll shut up..."

The duo turned to the female dragon again. The nightmares... he remembered them and... nah... there's no time for this. They have to stop Ripto before he wreck all of the Realms! "Take care Ember!"

Turning toward his next destination, Spyro resumed his journey. Frankly, he didn't expect a reply... and well, although he was disappointed for some reason for the fraction of a second, he indeed never did receive a reply from the pink dragon.

Oh well... the time was not for thoughts but for moving ahead. He wondered what Realms were threatened this time... but well, as he made his way toward the tunnel that lead beyond the mountains that marked the limit of the valley in which Dragon Village was located, he figured that he would find out in time...

88888888

The inside of the tunnel was dark and humid... like most caves were. The world under the surface of the Realms was one of silence, one of empty echoes, one of loneliness and darkness. Dragons, used to their life on the surface and in the skies, were not used to the underworld and feared it.

Spyro knew it. He knew that whenever it might be instincts or just a general claustrophobia of sorts, his specie preferred the world above to the damp caves and tunnels that were everywhere in the worlds. Himself, he knew that he once dreaded the darkness, afraid of what might lie in the unknown shadows...

Years of adventuring had eventually allowed him to get over the feelings of his fellow dragons regarding the darkness. The caves were empty, the silence only broken by a hollow wind that came died not even halfway through the tunnel and by the repetitive sounds of his claws on the rocky ground mixed to the buzzing of Sparx's wings.

Torches, suspended with ropes to the walls of the tunnel, provided the faint light that the duo used to navigate through. It was funny that despite the presence of sufficient technology within this Realm to place electric lamps in the tunnel, no one had thought of doing so.

But in a way... it was not so surprising. The dragons dreaded underground passages while the moles, the other main specie, was a specie from the underworld and actually enjoyed the darkness of the caves more than the daylight. As such, in a way, it was normal that no one would bother to try and bring bright light to this tunnel...

... especially considering that it led to the Crocodile Swamp, the neighbor region.

As its name indicated, Crocodile Swamp was home to crocodiles... and Spyro knew that they had an enduring hatred toward dragons.

In a way, it was understandable. Before the alliance of the Dragon Realms, the Realms over which the dragons ruled, and Avalar, the moles' Realm, the Realm of Dragon Kingdom was unnamed and mostly empty. After the alliance, the Realm was named and colonized by dragons and moles alike, becoming Dragon Kingdom... but also, by mistake, invading the territory of the sentient crocodiles that had been living there before them.

Spyro and his friends had been busy fighting various villains and only actually came to Dragon Kingdom later. He had heard rumors that the first months of the dragons' arrival in Dragon Kingdom had been... not exactly smooth. Tales of war, brutal clashes between the newcomers and the original inhabitants.

In time, a fragile truce was established between the two sides as the crocodiles found themselves in a losing situation. A few months later, after the scars of war begun to fade, Spyro and his friends came to this world and decided to make it their home...

The Dragon Realms... Spyro remembered the Realm of Artisans, the very Realm where he had arrived after being forced out of Dragon Land. The Dragon Realms were linked through magic, different clans of dragons living in each. The dragons of Dragon Realms were unlike the dragons of Dragon Land however. Humanoid, dependant upon other beings to supply them with powers, separated from their past, following laws with origins they forgot... In a way, although the bipedal dragons of the Dragon Realms were much larger and, in a way, much more intelligent and open-minded that the few dragons he had knew back in his own Realm, it didn't matter that the purple dragon just couldn't identify himself to those new dragons. They were too... different... too...

... and what does it matter?

The moles... in a way, he was responsible for the alliance between moles and dragons. Ripto's very first attack had been on Avalar, Realm of the moles. The moles, using technology rather than magic, were a mighty people... but one that was powerless before the magic of Ripto. It was then that Spyro met, all of a sudden, without ever expecting it, the Professor and most of his friends. Called to Avalar via the means of technology, Spyro fought to protect a Realm that was not his own against an enemy that was, at the time, unknown to him.

Yet, in the end, it was all worth it. Many friends he made and when he returned, the dragons and moles soon had their first contacts and the alliance was quickly formed.

Such a nice set of coincidences in a way... or was it fate? Back in his world, his very life was linked to fate, both having the power to control and change it just as it manipulated him and changed him...

... is he still a Chosen One, even out of his own timeline? Is he still marking the ages with the stamp of the legendary purple dragon within those Realms, prophecies from other worlds carrying into the unknown?

It was unsure...

The tunnel was quiet... so very quiet...

He reached the midway point. He knew it was the midway point because it was the location where the caves changed. As a natural tunnel, the walls were not straight and it was actually a serie of "rooms" all forming an uneven, large corridor. It was probably formed by an earthquake long ago or a river that no longer exist...

The midway point was the largest room. Circular, massive, the hatchling had expected it to be an important spot or at least have anything special since it was so large. After all, usually, the villains he fought had a tendency to hide important items in large rooms for a reason he didn't knew...

Yet, the room had been empty. He and Sparx were worried the first time they made it here... only to find out it was just your average big room, there for no good reason other than the fact that it's there.

There was no need to talk, nothing to do but move ahead, continuously, until the daylight would be once again be spotted, meaning the end of the tunnel...

"Hey. Stop." called Sparx.

The purple dragon stopped marching forward, slowly turning to face the dragonfly. As an insect, Sparx had senses and perceptions of the world that were different from the dragon's... so it was a good idea to listen... when he was serious. Sparx was known for his sarcasm and jokes... especially in times of great danger, when he masked his own fear with a healthy or even, sometimes, unhealthy dose of bitter sarcasm. But well, considering how the place was quiet, this was probably not the case.

Still, Sparx seemed strangely serious... what for? "Is it me... or is there something rotten?" asked the dragonfly.

Spyro rose an eyebrow. Rotten? He understood the meaning and looked around. "Now that you mention it... There's something fishy about this place..." he replied as he begun to look around, feeling that there was something bad and dangerous about this place. Yet, as usual, the tunnel was empty and neither his vision, hearing, or sense of smell could detect anything abnormal about the place. It was the same dark, humid, creepy, cold yet boring tunnel as always with that same suspicious yet totally pointless huge room in the middle of the path.

"I see nothing, Sparx. Maybe... we just imagined..." he couldn't finish his sentence that...

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion and the ground begun to shake! Spyro hammered his clawed paws into the floor, holding his ground while Sparx's expression turned to one of sheer terror as he begun to mutter his usual self-calming quotes, trying to keep himself from panicking.

Then, much to the horror of the duo, the entrance to the room crumbled down, the ceiling giving away and blocking the path. At the same time, on the other side, the same was happening to the exit. The two turned to realize it.

Then, as the earthquake of sorts stopped, Sparx opened his mouth to uther a nasty word, expressing his feeling about the situation... but couldn't do it as a sudden flash of light filled the room... magical light.

FLASH!

The reptile covered his eyes for a moment and then, when he could see again, a familiar figure stood before him...

Near the exit, wielding a plain-looking blue magical scepter, was the evil wizard, Ripto. A small frame the height of Spyro, the best way to describe the tyrant wannabe was probably as a fat red frog with a horn on top of his head wielding fancy blue clothes and a big blue cape that was way too big for him. Although the creature was quite the grotesque sight and was not much of a challenge by now for the purple dragon, both he and his dragonfly partner knew that Ripto remained dangerous. Furthermore, considering his latest plan and what he just did, it means that he must be getting smarter.

In fact, Ripto had rarely dared to face Spyro this early when the two were fighting each others. Usually, he would wait in his castle and wait until his so-called new flawless plan was complete before trying to face Spyro. If he was standing there, before the purple dragon... then it meant that he must be pretty confident and must be believing he can take out the reptile right here and now!... which, frankly, was bad news since it meant Ripto had some kind of all-new crazy device or spell in his possession and that he was hitching to make dragon steak out of Spyro with it.

"So... shouldn't we get this over with, shortie?" taunted the reptile, not wanting to prolong this any longer. It was usually best to send bad guys in a tantrum so they would not think straight and make mistakes during the fight than to wait patiently for them to pull off a carefully planned plan step by step... so, like usual, Spyro speeded up things by striking Ripto's weak spot... his little problem with the fact that he was, well, barely as tall as the short purple hatchling.

Spyro expected Ripto's red face to turn even more red than normal, the usual sign that his taunt had made its mark... but the usual reaction did not come. Ripto remained there, his eyes glowing in anticipation, an evil grin on his face. This was bad news... REALLY bad news...

"Hmph! Still as arrogant as ever, as I can see. Really, I didn't expect you to turn up and try to stop me!" sarcasm? Ripto only used sarcasm when he REALLY had the advantage. The dragon was creeped out by now and Sparx was slowly hovering backward, eyeing the place for possible cover... "... actually, you shown up right on cue! I knew that if I released a few Rhynocs here and there, that this idiotic Professor would think that I was taking over the Realms... which is not entirely false. What he didn't know was that I knew about his cameras and that I dispatched Rhynocs only to lure you out in the open so... that I may use..."

The wizard tyrant took out his magical scepter... but it was different from usual. It was gold-colored, with intricate designs carved all over it. The magical gem at the tip was glowing in a weird way, a red miasma pulsating within... "I have a bad feeling about this..." Sparx didn't like the looks of this and neither was Spyro...

"This is the product of long months of research and experimentation! This is... the Dream Scepter, a powerful artifact in which I have put all of my power, knowledge..." Ripto stared into Spyro's eyes, his eyes glowing in murderous fury. "... and hatred. This weapon is the ultimate in dragon-slaying! It can rip apart the very space-time continuum! With it... I shall finally make you pay for all the humiliations you made me suffer through! At long last, the stupid purple dragon will fall!"

It's strange... Ripto usually was known to lose his temper but this... was different. Ripto wasn't throwing a tantrum. He was strangely still, calm... and yet, never had Spyro felt so much hatred and desire for destruction in his voice. Looks like Ripto is REALLY being serious this time... Not that he should be afraid! The dragon got ahold of himself and then, turning to Sparx, nodded. The dragonfly, although still scared, weakly nodded in response. They had beaten this guy before. They will beat him again, Dream Scepter or not!

Spyro lowered his head and charged. He will knock that silly thing down! Just in case, he was ready to dive to the side should an attack be coming... and one probably would come!

... yet, as he charged, Ripto did not move... not even an inch. He ran up until he was so close that he could swear he could smell his breath, half a second from making the tyrant wannabe taste some horn sandwich...

He closed his eyes and awaited the impact, already planning his next assault, assuming he had most definitely delivered the first strike of this battle... but...

"You used to be stronger than this... much stronger..." that voice... it was... his own?

ZAP!

He could barely comprehend what had happened that he opened his eyes and gasped, pain registering as he was suddenly very, very far from Ripto. In fact, he had been blasted and sent flying into the wall, where he had been slammed with so much strength that the purple dragon could feel intense pain through all of his body... and through all of Sparx's. It was like an intense burn to the heart... and a massive surge of pain that goes to an exterior part of your body. It was no longer his pain... but the impact had been so violent, so brutal, that he felt it completely.

Although he knew that his body was intact as he fell down, he couldn't help but feel that his wings, right leg, and many bones in his chest should be broken. When Ripto had said that this new wand was powerful... he hadn't been joking at all! In fact, it had been a long while since he saw and felt magic that was so terribly powerful.

"Man! That was HORRIBLE!" Sparx's pained voice came to him as his glow had already turned green and dull from the injuries that had been transferred into his body. Worry gripped Spyro's heart... both for himself and for Sparx. He knew that it was in his interest not to let this battle drag on too much...

"Ha! Your pathetic attacks won't beat me this time, lizard!" the villain taunted, a force field rising. He then stood there, as if waiting...

Spyro slowly approached the force field, making sure to see if there would be any signs of an incoming attack... but Ripto was once again still and silent. This... was infuriating. Where did Ripto get all this power?!?

The dragon, seeing nothing coming, slowly sat down in front of the force field. Obviously, the enemy was trying his patience, waiting for him to do a mistake... Well! He can play that game too! He stared into Ripto's eyes while he returned the gaze, cold, confident hatred in his eyes...

He did not move an inch. His tail was still, his wings did not beat, he did not blink. He remained there, only the sound of the magical flow of the force field piercing the silence. Ripto remained still, wand at his side, not even blinking once as well, standing in a pose that reminded the dragon of a duelist waiting for its opponent to make a move...

The two enemies remained still... the magic continued to flow... no movement or sound...

Sparx flew about, looking at the two, waiting for one of them to move. His patience was put to the test by those two in a way... and the fact that his wings were hurting and that he couldn't feel his right arm didn't help, frankly. The dragonfly, still, didn't say a word and kept flying, waiting for the moment to react...

"There is still a bit of skill left in you, however..." the purple dragon heard his own voice again. Where from?

That... that was just like in the nightmares... Was this the doing of Ripto? A new way of taunting him? With his newfound powers, it might be a possibility after all...

Ripto blinked and seemed to change his stance, as if getting tired of keeping his stance.

Spyro reacted instantly and sprung up. He inhaled deeply and then, focused on his target, flapped his wings wildly to suspend his body in position while supporting his frame with his front paws. Closing his eyes to shield his eyes, he opened his mouth and exhaled with all of his strength.

The magical energies within Spyro ignited upon coming into contact with the air and caused a stream of fire clouds to be sent flying toward the force field at an incredible speed and with pinpoint accuracy! The stream of fire slammed into the force field violently as Ripto regained his balance and pointed his wand.

A duel of tug-o-war of sorts had begun between the two. Spyro kept breathing fire at the wall while Ripto unleashed his powers to maintain the force field. Sparx flew behind Spyro in case things would get explosive and observed, pondering if he should use his connection to the purple dragon to help him overcome the evil wizard...

For a moment, it seemed like the two were even-matched... but then, Spyro felt his lungs beginning to burn as his body screamed for oxygen. He stopped flapping his wings, his feet touching the ground, his fire breath weakening.

Despite how blinding the flames were, Spyro couldn't help but open his eyes... and through the blinding yellow light of his fire, he saw Ripto's triumphant expression. This victorious smile on the villain's face instilled the dragon with rage and made him feel like burning him up even more than ever... but his body couldn't take it anymore.

The flames stopped coming and the dragon found himself panting...

"Is that all? Come on! I'm not breaking a sweat here!" taunted the villain in that ever so-annoying voice.

This time, he had ENOUGH! He felt warm as the power flowed from Sparx to him, his weariness disappearing in an instant as his partner gave him the strength to resume his attacks. He wasn't going to waste it, oh no! This time, he's going all out! Ripto is not getting his first victory, no way!

He gathered all of the magical energy in his mouth. This time, he was going to REALLY nuke him! He closed his mouth and forced it all into his mouth. As the power flowed, he clenched his teeth as soon enough, the sphere got bigger and bigger and bigger... and soon, felt so big he could swear it was bigger than his head! Yet, he clenched his teeth to contain the pressure, gathering all of his power... and rage... into this one attack.

Then, he swung his head down and then back up, in a low arc, as he spitted the sphere. Instantly, the sphere caught on fire and formed a massive fireball that flew right over the magical wall. Ripto's eyes narrowed and brought his wand up to protect himself as the fireball sailed over his protective wall and straight toward his vulnerable frame...

BOOOOOOM!

There was a big flash of light and both the dragon and dragonfly felt the shockwaves of the explosion caused by the fireball. Both creatures covered their eyes to shield themselves from the light. Spyro smiled... he must have likely won. The fireball passed through the wizard's protection and struck him directly... and considering the amount of power he placed into this attack, it must have been more than enough to knock him out.

Slowly, the smoke begun to clear... and the purple dragon and his partner's eyes widened.

"Oh my dear! What does it take to take out this guy?" asked the dragonfly, shocked just as much as Spyro that Ripto was standing before them, completely intact. He didn't even have the slightest hint of a burn...

"So much wasted potential..." why was Ripto talking to him using his own voice? What's the meaning of this?!?

"So... I was right. Your fancy breath attacks are no match for the new me. It's not even worth it to toy with you anymore." announced the tyrant, pointing his wand at the dragon. "Now... GOOD NIGHT!"

ZAP!

Another surge of incredible pain. Once again, the dragon clenched his teeth. His eyes widened as the surge of pain went through him whole as he was slammed into the wall. Again, the strange feeling as Sparx took it... and...

... something snapped. Sparx cried loudly in pain and Spyro understood that he had been unable to take it all, this time. Yet, the worry didn't even have the time to register that the half of the destructive power Sparx hadn't absorbed registered proper into Spyro's body.

His eyes widened and the dragon downright screamed as he felt his chest ripped inside out, bones shattering, as the deadly magical energy pulsated through him. Then, he painfully found himself crashing face-down into the ground. Clenching his teeth even more, he tried to stand up... and although his legs were intact, he found himself trembling from the sharp feeling in his nerves. It had been a long time, very long since he hadn't felt like this...

He tried to locate Ripto but everything was so... so vague... so scrambled. Wet... he could taste his own blood and he was sweating... but this... Spyro realized... that he was crying.

He cursed himself for his weakness. All those years having Sparx taking hits for him must have caused him to go soft. After all, ever since he left the homeworld and found out about Sparx's powers, he had never went on an adventure without him using his powers to protect him. In a way, he had become weak from this. He could no longer bear pain it seemed...

... and Sparx?... SPARX!

How could he forget about him! He looked frantically around... but with those tears scrambling his vision, it was hard to locate him. He tried to wipe them off his face... but more came to trouble him. He was blinded... but even in this state, he was going to find his friend! Who cares about Ripto! Sparx... he must find his friend...

He stepped forward... well, toward what he assumed was forward. It felt so horrible... Ripto's magic pulsated through him and made him feel so weak... and then... huh? Just at his feet! There!

Sparx... is no longer glowing? For a moment, the heart of the dragon seemed to stop... but then, through his tears, he saw the dragonfly move... and he felt so very relieved...

"I'm... sorry Spyro. It was too much... to take. Guess... Ripto REALLY has improved..." the dragon shook his head. He wouldn't have Sparx blaming himself. Not now. "No more... let me take him out..."

He turned to see the vague shape of Ripto... but even if his body was so scrambled in his tears, his evil gaze remained ever so visible and intense...

"Finally... revenge! Sweet revenge..." he was not going to allow it! NEVER!

ZAP!

Spyro's eyes widened and he gulped. The entire world was spinning... so dizzy... so tired...

The purple dragon lost his balance and collapsed on his side. A massive blanket of darkness, like a cement block smashing into him, knocked him out. He rolled his eyes, unconscious before he could even realize it.

Silence...

"What's the matter, Spyro? Feeling a bit... dead?" this voice, again... coming from him. This time however, he felt like he could place a name on it... yet, the name did not come. Why? "You are stronger than this. As if a shrimp like Ripto could TRULY kill you! PAH!"

"We told you we would do something, right? We will do something... just watch... and see your true power!"

* * *

What happened after this went like a vision... or maybe a nightmare.

Spyro and Sparx saw themselves suddenly spring up, like a mysterious force making a couple of puppets rise to life. It was so strange... they had just risen, they could see... and yet, they were not there, it was not them... and yet, they knew it was themselves.

Ripto stepped backward, shocked... and Spyro saw a cruel smile on his own face as he stared at the shrimp in such a scary way...

... then what happened was a blur.

There was a roar of sorts and then, a purple blur all around Ripto. Sounds of claws tearing flesh, cries of pain, flames erupting everywhere... and then, fireballs raining from nowhere. He saw... a massive wave of pure energy... and then, he felt in a trance...

Sparx was glowing brightly, his own glow extending, his light taking the form of a bladed orb... blades with physical substance.

There were explosions... more cries of pain... then flight... flight? It was so confusing...

Outside, he saw figures of Rhynocs twisting and falling. He saw their faces imprinted with sheer, raw terror. The entire world seemed to turn dark and red... blood red.

There were two figures... two of various sizes. A small purple dragon and its yellow dragonfly friend. Both had glowing maniacal eyes, both had the blood of Rhynocs all over them, a sly murderous smile on their faces...

"I am back, Spyro... Missed me?" said Vanguard.

* * *

The Dark Gem shard pulsated... beating like a heart...

A thousands suns shine in the sky... and the Distortion was unleashed. Past... present... future... The road to Dawn will be long... The two halves of the Black Heart beat in unison, longing to be reunited.

Before the two, a world where neither time nor space made sense stood... a world of silence... a world of regrets... a world of ruin...

Yet, it remained a vision... and reality called back. Is it another nightmare? What of Ripto?... and Vanguard? What did he meant? What did he do?

The Dark Gem shard is pulsating...

* * *

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 3: The Beginning

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Beginning**

* * *

The Dark Gem shard is beating within his chest, like a heart... 

It is strange. He knew he should be dead... he knew he should be rotten and decayed by now... and yet, the Dark Gem shard, like a heart, pump blood, power, magic, life through his veins. His heart is silent, still... yet, he is not dead.

The crimson glow of the dark purple half hold secrets, a promise... and his life. It is so ironic. He had seeked to undo them so much and in the end, his life was sustained by a shard of those beautiful and yet, so terrible gems...

Sparx, linked to him, was kept alive by it as well. Linked in ways that eluded the two, the Dark Gem kept the two alive, the power from Spyro being transferred into Sparx's body, keeping him in the mortal plane as well.

How long did they sleep? What happened to Ripto?... to Vanguard?... to their friends?

Then... suddenly...

thump...

A distant sound...

thump... thump...

... and slowly, their hearts begun to beat anew and the Dark Gem fell silent.

Where are they? What happened?

Slowly, their souls drifted out of the darkness and back into reality...

All was a blur at first... but then, slowly, light came to Spyro and the world begun to clear up, becoming more and more real. His eyes focused and he could feel it within him...

He was alive. So is Sparx.

Yet... something felt... different. Not wrong... just... different.

Although his entire body hurt, Spyro felt like he was somewhat... weird. The first thing he heard was his own breathing. Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale... it sounded somewhat... strange. It was louder, too.

Slowly, he got up and instantly, felt his wings fold back into position. It was an instinctive move but it surprised him. His wings were supposed to be under-developed, not allowing him to fold them like that! In fact... turning around, he noticed that his wings were now very large, large enough to be folded. He also felt... as if everything was smaller and there was a certain something about him that was there that didn't used to be there...

"Hey. What hap..." the purple dragon stopped in the middle of his question. His voice... had been very low-pitched and loud, louder than any time before. In fact... looking at his back, he noticed that not only were his wings larger but his back was covered with a lot more yellow spines... as if his entire body was now larger. He looked at his hands... they seemed... stronger and larger too. His arms seemed longer, more muscular and he could feel the strength. In fact, never had he felt so strong before... and so... so...

"What's going on here?" was this... truly Sparx's voice? It was a good bit lower-pitched as well and he saw him hover near him. He was a lot smaller now, it seemed... and yet, he had this definite feeling that he was larger, much larger too in truth and that he seemed smaller only because of his own increase in size.

Total shock was visible in the eyes of the dragon and dragonfly as they saw each others. "Okay... since then are you... you know... so freakin' HUGE?" asked the dragonfly in his now mature-sounding voice. Spyro was just... so confused... "I... I don't know... I just... I don't understand. What happened?" the purple dragon then rose an eyebrow. "... and since then are you so tiny?"

The remark caused the glowing insect to be upset. "HEY! I'm not tiny! I... I got that abnormal size issue too, you know!... it's not my fault if you're a freakin' giant now!" in a way, the reply filled the purple dragon with an unknown kind of satisfaction. For so many years, everyone had treated him as if he was the smallest being in existence. He had felt so tiny... so insignificant... and now, at long last, he was large too! It was... a nice feeling...

However, this satisfaction was drowned in the confusion that he felt. The location where they were... it wasn't the cave where they had fainted. Was this Ripto's doing, too? This place... it was so familiar and yet...

Looking around, he could recognize the towers of Dragon Village... yet, the sky was so... dark and dull. The buildings were all wrecked, in ruins... yet, they didn't seem like they had been destroyed. More as if they had been abandonned, plants growing on them by now. The entire ground seemed scorched and for some ill reason, the dragon had the feeling of standing in the middle of a graveyard...

"Okay... is it me or is that place totally creepy?" it was weird to hear Sparx's usual replies in that voice. But then, every time he opened his mouth, Spyro was shocking himself. In fact... what's up with their new sizes? Why do he feel so... different yet so identical to before in a way? In a way, he never felt so good... yet, in another way, never did he felt so... slow and cumbersome.

Slowly, he stepped foward, the insect timidly following as they were in a place that was both so familiar yet so alien...

Then, a horrible scream.

Their eyes widened. This scream... it... just... couldn't.

The scream again... and a laugh.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Jumping down from their hiding spots, the two saw them. The same foes they had fought so long ago, back at the homeworld... "Wha... what's Dark Ones doing here?!?"

Dark Ones... muscular beasts that looked like gorillas. Tiny heads and hands, ENORMOUS muscles. Surprisingly smart considering their little brain size. Small shields in their right hands, big, ugly swords in their left hands. A strange suit of armor with spikes and blades all over it covering their tiny frame but leaving their shoulders and head exposed except for a large metal ring covering the left shoulder. The sentient specie bred by the Dark Master to serve as soldiers...

But... how was it possible for those THINGS to be here, in what they assumed was Dragon Village or at least, a messed-up version of it? They had foiled the Dark Master once and for all long ago! They should be all gone! ALL OF THEM! How is it possible for those... nightmares... to be here?!?

The... things... yelled unknown words to each others. The two had never forgot about the Dark Ones' tactics. They knew that they were giving orders to each others, making up a strategy to attack.

Spyro felt so weird... he wasn't sure if he would be able to fight in such a state... but he got in position nevertheless. Well, at least, they seemed a LOT less massive than he remembered... but then, he was much smaller back then. A mere hatchling...

Let's hope that the old tricks will still work...

Then, the same cry he had never forgotten. Out of all of the gibberish that the Dark Ones yelled to each others, he had never understood a word... except for one. The sharp, painfully loud cry that meant: attack.

The three monkey-like creatures ran in bipedal position toward him, preparing to strike with their weapons. "Here they come!" warned Sparx, a warning that was largely unneeded.

The first foe came in range... and Spyro did the same as he would do back in the day. Although he felt heavier... he was surprised at how easily it had been for him to grab into the ground with his front claws and bring himself forward for a deadly headbutt. The strike connected, causing the foe to stumble backward, yelling in pain from the impact.

Just as he would do in the day, the purple dragon left the foe no chance to recover. He found an advantage in his increased weight and size, giving him extra momentum which made his second, diagonal headbutt so much easier to pull off. Then, he brought himself upward with his claws and spun his whole body in a breakdancing-like way, smacking the foe right in the face with his feet's claws and his tail. The strike connected, causing three successive cries of pain, the purple dragon knowing that those foes had been so blinded by their urge to kill that they had all surrounded him, allowing for a quick spinning attack at all of them.

The foe's flesh... he didn't remembered it to be so easy for him to claw into it. But then, he had never felt so strong before. It was all so strange and new...

But he had no time to be amazed at his new form's enhanced capabilities. He brought himself foward and knocked the foe upward with a third headbutt. There was a loud metalic sound as the gorilla's armor gave way. Excellent! Now, to finish it off...

Spyro unfolded his wings and kicked the ground with his feet, sending himself upward. For a moment, he thought that his heavier frame would be unable to jump due to the weight... but then, the strength of his own jump surprised him. He had been able to bring himself to the foe's level almost effortlessly.

It was time to pull off that little combo he had developed, years ago! Taking advantage of his wings, he begun to spin around, smacking into the helpless enemy with his claws and tail. He felt pleasantly surprised as his now larger wings were now making what was once a feat, back then, to be pulled so effortlessly. In a moment, he had quickly turned the foe into a bloody pulp with more swipes and slammed the foe into ground.

One less foe to defeat. He turned to face the two... humm... thirty remaining foes.

"Okay... where do those guys come from?" asked Sparx, who had been too busy watching his friend beat up that gorilla to notice that the foes had some reinforcements... well, a lot of reinforcements.

CRACK!

Spyro's eyes widened and so did Sparx's as at this moment, it happened.

Out of a sudden, there were shadows of sorts... and then, suddenly, the Dark Ones' heads begun to blow up like popcorn, sending red goo flying about. The minions did not fall dead however... rather, their torso basically exploded and some kind of horrific mess came out of them.

Those things... he had never saw anything like them before. It was as if the Dark Ones' skeletons had crawled out of their bodies, gaining a life of their own. Reminders of organs were all over the skeletal abominations, black tentacles coming out of holes in the bony frames to devour the half-consumed organs. But the worst was the head... skulls that were taking the smooth form of a face... a face without eyes and with a mouth that was stretched and distorted beyond belief. Those things didn't just have holes in place of their eyes and mouth... no, there was just... total emptiness. Spyro couldn't find the words to describe what was inside. Nobody could. It was just... like a vacuum leading into the depths.

As the thingies emerged from the Dark Ones, two massive wing-like tentacles emerged from the back of the skeletal monsters and then, the monstruosities sprung out of their now obviouly dead and emptied hosts, their frames twisting and distorting about as if unnaffected by gravity and not needing any joints to articulate their freely transforming, floating frames.

Those things... were the most disgusting things the two had ever seen. They didn't know whenever to puke or scream in terror at the sight of such... atrocities.

Then, one of the things screamed. VERY loudly. Those things were louder than even the largest Dark One!... and what a scream! It was... some kind of mix between a sharp cry of pain, a scream of terror, and a beserk creature's insane warcry. The fact that the voice was as distorted as the creature to which it belonged wasn't helping at all.

"Okay... those things are just too freaky. I suggest we turn tail and get outta here." usually, Spyro would convince Sparx to stand and fight... but those things... He had seen many freaky things, he admitted it... but never in the past had he saw monsters that had been able to truly, genuinely freak the scales out of him. Those things... were different. Furthermore, he just could feel it... twisted auras unlike that of any living creature he had seen before. Those things... were definitely not natural... if they were alive at all.

But then, as he turned tail and well, kicked the ground as he sent his body running toward the opposite direction, all of this felt so very... familiar. or rather, the feeling.

This sheer, raw terror. He had not felt it since he had left the homeworld... ever since he had stopped running into the creations of the Dark Master. He didn't know why but... there was something about the Dark Master's creations and mutants that had always been different. Sure, Ripto and many other evil beings had mutated and twisted souls to their own needs... but there was something vile, something twisted, something gratuitous about the Dark Master's minions. Beings like Ripto transformed beings to make them into more efficient soldiers. The Dark Master... he, mutated beings because he can, because he actually liked to twist them into shapeless abominations that strike fear into the hearts of beings.

Maybe this was why the Dark Ones were so terrifying and in a way, still are even now that he have much experience and this weird, gigantic body. There was something shattered about them, something twisted and corrupted. They were not simply common villains seeking to place their banner on the world... they were totally insane monsters, seeking to completely annihilate all life and replace nature with their own, twisted order.

... and now, he had once again met with creatures that had this kind of feeling to them. Those things, whatever they were... they were like the Dark Ones. Gross, scary, disgusting, twisted, corrupted for basically no good reason. They were freaky because they could... and that was why they were so freaky. There was no reason, no use to it... they were just plain horrific.

He kept on running... and yet, he didn't even need to look back to know they were giving chase. He could hear their twisted screams, the sounds of the bones and squishy echoes of organs against the ground. They were twisting and distorting about like nightmares, seeking to make him into their next meal... and it filled him with terror.

He dived through the ruined entrance of a building. There was no other way, having reached a dead end, at the bottom of an ancient wall. Panting from all this running, he didn't even think about looking back or stopping. He just looked around, saw the exit, dashed through it at full speed. Likewise, the dragonfly flew next to him, just as terrified as he was.

... he recognized this area... this enclosed valley...

NO!

He's going toward a dead end! He remember now!... and the sole exit...

He looked back... and wished he never had.

The monsters were now forming a collective mess of horrific faces, climbing on top of each others to form a seemingly unique being while remaining separate. They were all stacked in a compact wall against the sole exit, dozens of them pouring through the door like polluted water, their screams merging into one massive torrent of chaotic sounds.

"Oh my dear ancestors..." the purple dragon couldn't help but mutter this as he looked back and turned back to see where he was going just in time to see the wall.

Surprised, he kicked into the ground and screeched to a halt just in time to avoid a collision. By now, both he and Sparx were trembling and turned back to face the torrent of monsters.

... and it was then that Spyro remembered something.

The Dark Master sure created twisted things... but all of them remained things, nevertheless... and a thing, unless protected by special equipment, is flammable.

The purple dragon slammed his front paws into the rotten grass and instinctively, whiped the wall with his tail, wings unfolding as he prepared to face the onslaught of monstruosities. "Wha... what do you think you're doing, hero boy?!?" asked Sparx, so shocked by his partner's reaction that he had almost choked on his words. "Barbecuing some skeletal weirdos. Why?"

Sparx hovered there, jaw dropping, staring at his friend in disbelief. "WHAT? You're going to try and fight those... those things?!?" the purple dragon nodded. "Indeed!" he replied, trying to sound confident.

Frankly, it was hard to be confident in such a situation. He couldn't help it... those things were freaky. But then, he knew that he couldn't run away forever. There was nowhere to run now... so, was he going to cower and beg for mercy? Never did he done so in the past... and he's not beginning today! He will stand his ground and fight... and he will prevail, like he always do! He will face his fears and show them his power!

The things dived toward him and he saw one of the horrific faces distort as black tentacles emerged from the grotesque flying collection of bones. He answered by griping the floor and spinning his frame around.

In an instant, the pack of assaulting monsters were struck and their screams, although still distorted, now containing a single feeling rather than many: pain. Although the things were not sent flying and in fact, did not flinch at all from the impact, the fact of receiving Spyro's claws and tail in the torso and the face caused the trajectory of the foes to change, rebounding backward slightly in a way similar to how other foes would stagger backward upon being hurt.

Still, as the five or so pack sprung back, more than a dozen joined them in the second assault as the foes continued to pour through. This time, Spyro used his momentum to spin in a different way, doing a backflip of sorts as he once again struck the foes, sending them upward. As the group of foes went flying, the purple dragon saw yet more of them diving under the enemies he sent flying. Trying an aerial assault was not an option for those foes were too relentless and there was too many of them.

It was time to knock them back away from him... and what is better for the job than an explosion? He held his breath, the magical energy gathering... but seeing the foes so close and going so fast toward him meant he had about half a second to attack. As such, he spitted the half-completed fireball, hoping it would be enough...

BOOOM!

... and much to his surprise, he found out that the increase in size and strength were not only the only change! Not only was he blinded a lot less than usual... but he also found out that this half-completed fireball he shot was basically as strong as a fully-charged one back in his original size.

For a moment, the onslaught stopped as the foes seemed to retreat... in part due to the fact that finally, as the fire had spreaded into an explosion, the frames of three or so enemies caught on fire and in one last scream, the horrific faces disappeared in a mask of flames, the nightmares reduced to ashes. So those things were not invincible after all...

"Way to go!...? Err..." Sparx's happy reaction at Spyro's temporary success quickly turned to fear as the foes came back, forming a MASSIVE wall that seemingly reached all the way to the sky it seemed.

Spyro instinctively tried to step backward... but felt the rock against both his foot and his tail. Dead end... and a massive wall of enemies forward. This isn't good...

But then, he finally noticed it... on his right, an old machine...

... the Ball Gadget! The Professor had built it years ago! The thing was rusted to the point it had taken him all that long to recognize it and it was highly probable it was broken... not that he would fit inside of a ball vehicle anymore anyway. But still, that gate... if he could get it opened in a way or another, this might be his exit ticket!

This also meant that this place REALLY is Dragon Village after all... A feeling rose...

... but there was no time and he supressed it. He need to keep that wall of things at bay and escape!

Well, here goes nothing. He begun to flap his wings, raising his body in a horizontal position while supporting himself on his front paws. Inhaling... then exhaling!

Rather than the usual stream of fire, a massive funnel of flames roared its way out of Spyro's mouth, causing the wall to collapse as the base was set on fire! The abominations twisted about, once again screaming, tentacles breaking out of their frames and flailing about in vain attempts to catch Spyro.

"Let's scram!" yelled the purple dragon to his partner in the middle of all the chaos. "But how?" replied the dragonfly, raising an eyebrow. Spyro pointed at the Ball Gadget gate and Sparx understood.

Spyro flapped his wings, kicking the ground as he sent himself sailing over the metallic gate in the ground. There goes nothing. Hopefully, the gate is rusty enough that it will break upon impact...

The dragon spun about as he used his wings to curl into a ball... and then, he slammed his entire frame into the opening.

CLAAAANG!!!

There was a loud sound as he broke through, Sparx wasting no time to follow him through the opening.

BZZZZT! CLING! CLANG!

The rusty machine malfunctionned as the two passed right through and Sparx had a glimpse of the entrance being sealed behind them as Spyro rolled through the tube while he flew after him. Looks like they had escaped from the freaky things... for now.

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PLOP!

The dragon emerged from the tube and was sent slamming straight into a wall! Sparx flew after him and his eyes widened... for about half a second. The connection that bound him to Spyro allowed him to tell that this last impact had not done anything significantly bad to the dragon's health in fact. Thus, the dragonfly could finally bring himself to relax and proceed to point and laugh at his friend.

Slowly sliding off the wall, the purple dragon felt anger rise up... "Whack it, Sparx! This isn't funny!" he growled, getting up and shaking up his frame a bit. This had been rather... unpleasant. Frankly, he now knew why those tubes encapsuled you in spheres rather than just send you through them straight away. Man... he felt so dizzy... and frankly, being catapulted into a wall right after getting out didn't help!

But well, at least, they had got away from those freaky things.

Sparx hovered there, laughing... but well, the situation wasn't THAT funny and he quickly realized that, well, they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, alone, and that since the place looked like Dragon Village, had the same layout, and even had the same machinery placed around... then it was Dragon Village... except that it was... messed-up.

Thus, his laugh turned nervous quite quickly and soon enough, he was no longer laughing at all. Sighing, the dragonfly looked around... The outskirts of the village... same dull sky, same ruined state to everything, still as empty. Where is everyone? "Okay... so what do we do now?" he asked.

The dragon looked around for a moment, strangely silent. This place... Dragon Village... it was so... empty... and the sky...

The place had been obviously overrun by the freaky things they had faced earlier. His home... had been overrun by bad guys. His home... was gone... again.

The homeworld... Dragon Land... it had been devastated by monsters before he was even born. He was born in a ruined world, a world where there was no future, a world that was a shadow of its former self. Yet, he had lived the first months of his life in peaceful swamps, away from it all, ignorant that his own civilization was extinct...

When he had learnt that he was a dragon, he left to find his origin... and was horrified at what he found. Devastation as far as his eyes could see. A darkened sky devoid of life. Signs of destruction and ruin everywhere. Even the nature had been desecrated and defiled. He, a child who had hoped to meet his parents, his family, his fellow dragons... realized that he had nothing. No home, no family, no one to identify to...

Nowhere to go...

The Guardians did their best to give a semblance of home to him for the time he spent with them... but deep down, never could they replace the family he never got to know. He and Cynder were the sole survivors of the new generation... the last of their specie. Everything was over before it had even begun.

In a way, his arrival in the Dragon Realms had been a new beginning. Within the various Realms, he met civilizations of dragons. Different dragons... but dragons, nevertheless. A new semblance of home...

... and then, after his fateful meeting with his friends at the Realm of Avalar... after Dragon Village was founded inside of the realm of Dragon Kingdom, in-between the Dragon Realms and Avalar... he had finally found a place he could call "home".

... and now, his home was gone, destroyed by freaky things. The great Spyro, the great purple dragon who had defeated so many villains... had abandonned his home and let monsters destroy it.

How could it be? He... he was only knocked out for a little while! How... how... "Spyro." he turned to his glowing, hovering friend. Although his body was huge, Sparx knew deep down that he remained the same old Spyro... and that this Spyro remained, at heart, a hatchling. It was obvious... too obvious in the way the dragon was looking at him. This distressed, cub-like expression... the expression of a small child silently calling for its mother. It was obvious that Spyro was just as much in shock as he was. "You know big guy... I'm just as freaked out as you are but well... We have only been knocked out for a little while, after all! I don't know how Ripto managed to sic all those weird things on Dragon Village so quickly... but I'm sure that our friends are out there, waiting for the mauve one to return! I say that we don't keep them waiting, isn't it?"

The dragon nodded and turned to the horizon. "Yeah... Hunter, Bianca, Zoe... all the others... they're waiting..." the dragon moved his frame forward, away from the ruined village, Sparx following. Their friends are waiting...

88888888888888

Many times did the sun set. Many times did the sun rise. The two continued on their way tirelessly within this darkened world, not knowing where they are going, passing by familiar locales but meeting no life they knew.

There were no more sheep for the dragon to hunt and very few butterflies for the dragonfly... but rats and flies remained. Although the two didn't found them to be quite the same as sheep and butterflies, it had to do. Although most ponds of water they ran across during their journey were of a strange color, there still were places where the water was left untouched by the strange corruption that raged across the Realm.

Many days without meeting any friends... and many days with the shadows of the things upon them. The two did their best to avoid the strange monsters which were seemingly everywhere. Once in a while, they would meet a few Dark Ones who did not contain those strange things. They were easily and quickly dispatched.

Nothing much was happening... but then, with the constant threat of the unnamed horrors and the search for lost friends, there was no time for boredom.

This routine continued until they finally reached the end of the valley. The mountains ended where the sea begun, an endless mass of water lying ahead, beyond where their eyes can see.The two stood near the exit of the cave leading to the beach. Looks like there was nowhere else where they could go... Dead end...

"Great. The entire Realm is abandonned." commented Sparx, rolling his eyes. The dragon slowly looked down... "All those days of walking for nothing..."

... but then... a strange feeling. Both felt it... both became curious. There was no need to speak. The two approached the doorway and suddenly, the beach seemed so very... fake. "If in doubt..." begun Sparx. "... break it!" continued Spyro, who knew very well that "saying" Sparx had developed after years of hanging with his purple friend.

"Go ahead! Go nuts!" said Sparx with a smile, hovering away from the exit.

The purple dragon, grinning, slowly unfolded his wings and then, lashed out at thin air, expecting to strike solid matter!... and well, his claws passed met no resistance BUT... he did see ripples through the air, as if he was striking water. He stopped his assaults on thin air and turned to Sparx, grinning. "Through?" asked the dragon. The dragonfly seemed to be in thought for a second... "Hmm..." and then, a sly smile came to him. "Yeah! Through!"

They both nodded and prepared themselves... "One... two... THREE!" and on the count of three, jumped through the magical wall!

What happened afterward was both so unbelievable... yet expected, in a way.

Basically, as soon as they passed through, they both realized that the empty beach had been, in truth, an illusion. Before them was still a beach... but it was one covered with familiar towers... towers in the same style as Dragon Village! Other buildings were visible as well. In fact... they were now standing a whole new Dragon Village! The streets... well... the beach was empty, yes, but it was a place that didn't seem abandonned and...

"Okay... now that's weird..." commented Sparx as the two walked out of the doorway and into the city proper. Spyro looked around, happy to finally run into some civilization...

"Spyro. Look at that." he was interrupted in his thoughts by his friend calling. He turned... and saw the reason why Sparx had stopped.

The statue of a dragon... a very, very familiar statue... "This is..." the purple dragon didn't finish his sentence, not that he was interrupted. This statue...

Those horns pointing in a diagonal, backward angle... those eyes... that snout... those under-developed wings... the spine spikes,.. the tail... the body proportions... and then, the stone figure of a dragonfly, identical to Sparx, on the statue's shoulder...

At the base of the statue, a plate... "In memory of Spyro and Sparx, the two heroes of Dragon Kingdom who disappeared more than three centuries ago." read aloud the dragon.

It was then that realization hit him. This was a statue of him... and Sparx. BUT WAIT A MINUTE! The statue says... that they disappeared more than three centuries ago?!?

Footsteps...

The two turned to see a familiar gorilla-like shape approach... a Dark One! "Oh goody! And I thought that this place was better for a second!" stated the dragonfly as both prepared themselves to fight.

But then... this is... weird. This Dark One... they ALWAYS ran torward him, screaming, flailing a weapon and a shield of sorts madly. But this one... it didn't have any visible weapons and yet, was too large to be a hand-to-hand fighter.

Dark Ones were divided by size, he had learnt of it through experience. The smaller ones were barely the size he was, back then. Wearing only basic protection and no weapons, they jumped, dived, and ran around like the hyperactive monkeys they were. While they lacked weapons, the dragon had learnt that their small frames could inflict significant injuries in a hurry. The usual size was more like twice the size he was, which is currently about half his size. They had the regular armor, a shoulder pad, a big weapon, and a small shield. They were also fond of igniting dynamite and then throwing it at whatever moved that wasn't one of them. He also rememebered about exceptionally large Dark Ones... Dark Ones that had magical powers and wielded unique, deadly magical artifacts... Dark Ones that were basically large and strong enough to overpower even an adult dragon with ease. When he thought about it... how did he beat all those guys? But then, he wasn't exactely normal either...

As for this particuliar Dark One... he is rather... unusual.

It was a regular-sized one, about half his size... but it was barely recognizable. Looking more carefully, the dragon noticed that the Dark One was equipped with weapons after all... but its equipment was very much different from usual, sporting silver armor that covered almost all of its shape except for the head and he could see a strange black sword sheated. The shield, which the Dark One carried on its back, was exceptionally large considering that Dark Ones were not fond of large shields and usually only wielded small bucklers...

... but most of all, what's up with the population? Why aren't the civilians running away, trying to find cover? Why aren't they even surprised at such a sight? Dark Ones were not a peaceful specie. He had never seen them get along with any creature except other creations of the Dark Master. This Dark One walking toward them without causing general panic was so very strange and left him with a baaaad feeling...

The creature stopped right in front of Spyro and stared at him. He expected the gorilla to attack... but he remained there, still and silent.

Silence... uneasy silence...

What do this gorilla want?!? Why didn't it attack yet? What's going on here?

"So... you have come." it was strange how, despite their size, Dark Ones had such a deep, loud, low-pitched voice. Even with their new, weird voices, Spyro and Sparx still didn't sound nearly as low-pitched as those monkeys. But then, what do they care? Is it any important? "I have foreseen your arrival. Although you might not trust me... you must come with me. A friend of yours is waiting and has the answers that you are looking for..."

The creature turned around and slowly stepped away... "Come. Your friend is waiting."

"Okay... what's the deal with that guy? Personally, I say that it's a trap!" Sparx was smelling a trap and frankly, so was Spyro. A Dark One coming out of nowhere, telling them that a friend is waiting? Sounds like a trap, that is for sure! "You have foreseen our arrival? How could you do that? How do we know that you aren't trying to fool us?" asked the dragon, not trusting that monkey one bit.

The monkey turned back to the two, grinning. "I have absolutely no way here and now to prove that I am not lying... but if you want to face the Virii hordes outside alone, you are free to do so. So you can come with me and give me the chance to prove my good will... or you can go out there and try to wrestle with the Forces of Dusk by yourself. It's your choice." the armored gorilla then turned back to wherever he was going and went forward.

The dragon and dragonfly stared at each others for a short while, both of them narrowing their eyes and having an expression of disbelief. "Okay... so those things are called "Virii"? Lovely. Well, I still say that it's a trap..." said Sparx, with absolutely no trace of enthusiasm in his voice. "Maybe... but he do have a point. I don't think we can defeat those enemies by ourselves. We fought for a few seconds and almost got ourselves killed... and besides, between an ambush by Dark Ones, which we fought before, and an ambush of those freaky things... I'd rather have the Dark Ones' trap."

The insect sighed loudly. The worst was that besides that baaad feeling, he couldn't help but agree. "Oh dear. Here we go again, I guess. This is all so crazy... and I shall not be taken responsible for whatever happens to you, mauve one! It was your choice!"

Sarcasm... Sparx always covered up his fear and worries with humor and sarcasm... and that what was he was doing right now: covering up. Although usually Spyro would act as the voice of reason, fact remained that the usual dose of nervous humor did succeed into making the dragon forget about his worries for a short while... so rather than bring Sparx down, he decided to go along for once... "Yeah, indeed... yet, in the end, when they'll start beating me up, you'll soak up the damage, as usual." the dragon begun to move forward, expecting the dragonfly to follow... which he did, after he recovered from the fact that Spyro actually answered one of his sarcastic comments for once. "Wha... NO! If you get hurt because of YOUR stupid decisions, I'm not gonna fix it for you! You'll go with the broken bones and the scratches and all that stuff, hero-boy!"

Good old Sparx... Even in the deepest of all darkness, Spyro knew that he could always depend on him. A precious ally, a true friend, and a dear brother... The most unsual yet compatible pair of brothers the world had ever seen. Who knows what crazy stuff they'll do next...

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The two were led away from the city proper and on the edge of the beach to a lonely building that was unlike the others. While the other buildings were dragon homes, towers of a style Spyro knew all too well... this last building was of a style unlike anything he had seen before. It was like an incomplete pyramid of metal, large enough for all three beings to enter and yet, not much more... Obviously, no one could live inside such a building. What could be its purpose?

Stepping inside, the dragon and dragonfly saw that the building had only one room... an altar of sorts with a circular pad in the middle... or was it truly an altar? The thing truly reminded him of the Professor's dimensional warp device back at Dragon Village... yes, very similar... complete with the antennas and other weird things pointing at the pad in the middle.

The Dark One stepped on the pad and then, placed himself on the back of the pad, leaving enough room for its two guests to step on it as well. "Come."

The two stopped and looked at each others. "And what... if it was a laser machine, a body-transfer machine, or whatever kind of weird trap?" asked Sparx, voicing the suspicion of the two.

The gorilla laughed coldly. Its laugh was strangely sane-sounding, considering that it came from a Dark One, who were known for their insane, maniacal laughs... "He he he! I guess you never saw a Warp Station before, didn't you? This is a machine that is used to transport people from Realm to Realm. There is nothing to fear from it."

Spyro and Sparx once again stared at each others. The bad feeling again... "Teleporting in the middle of an ambush. Happy thought, heh?" Spyro nodded. Indeed, Sparx's suggestion for what the trap could be made sense. He turned to the gorilla... "Any kind of guarantee you won't warp us at who knows where?"

The gorilla looked at the two for a moment and then smiled. "You two are smart... but our destination is a safe one. There will be no foes waiting for us. Only your friend."

"Still not convainced." stated the dragonfly, crossing his arms and hovering about. The dragon remained there... and then, sighed loudly. "Still better than the things."

"I say that we're doomed." said Sparx to no one in particuliar as they stepped on the teleport pad. "Still doesn't matter." replied Spyro, rolling his eyes, as the machine begun to activate...

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ZAP!

That had been... surprising. Frankly, they had not expected this. Travelling from Realm to Realm had always been quite... unpleasant. Both the dragon and dragonfly had very precise memories of being sucked down a gigantic vortex and twirled about like specks of dust in a giant drain, brutally swirled around like crazy before being slammed down into the ground at the other hand, expelling their stomach, and most often than not, what it contained at well out of their mouths.

However, this time, the teleportation went so strangely well... It had been so smooth... so uneventful. Spyro still remembered the Professor saying that dimension travel technology was still in its relatively early stages so... how come that warp process had been so... well, perfect?

But then, it was the last of the two's worries. What mattered... was where they were.

Spyro felt... a thick, hard sphere form up in his throat. He wanted to speak but... but... he just couldn't. His eyes felt wet and his entire body trembled as a feeling washed all over him.

This yellow stone balcony and beyond, the endless forests of giant, ethereal mushrooms with the sun shining over it. The rivers leading to the ocean in the horizon... the feel of the air... the very aura of everything... this feeling... In all of his being, he could feel it. He knew where he was...

He turned to his partner. He just hovered there, so strangely silent...

The Dark One slowly stepped toward the edge and looked at the horizon, as if trying to see something... "She is coming... your friend..." said the being.

Then... he heard her...

In fact, he thought he had seen her too! This shadow in the sky... but it disappeared close to the ground before he could see it. The emotion... his heart was beating so fast. Could this be? That this place is what he believe it is and that this shadow could be...?

FWOOOSH!

Incredibly fast movement and in an instant, a massive black dragon rose and then landed on the balcony, just in front of Spyro... a massive black dragon, more than three times his size. A black dragon with a thin, long frame, an equally long neck, an extremely long tail. Smooth black scales, almost like skin... and those strange grey losanges on her shoulders, thighs, and forehead...

The black dragon's black and red wings folded back into position on her back and she slowly sat, looking at the purple dragon, total disbelief on her face...

"Cyn... Cynder..." whispered Spyro. "So... so... so big." whispered Sparx.

The black dragon's eyes widened and she slowly turned to the Dark One, shaking her head. "This... this is... This is not funny!" The gorilla shook his head and then, turned to the black female. "He is in the flesh. He is real."

The black dragon slowly turned back to the purple dragon and then, walking on her four, slowly stepped foward and touched his snout with her right paw. "Spy... Spyro?"

Their eyes locked and then, the female's eyes filled with tears... "Spyro... you are alive! You are... alive..."

Spyro... wasn't understanding. He had never felt so happy and yet... tears did not stop coming. He could just stand there and cry despite the joy that inhabited his heart. His homeworld... he had thought it had been destroyed and now... finally... here it was... and Cynder... how many years it had been? Six? Seven? Ten? So much time had passed...

... but then, a question came to him. How come... Cynder is in this form? How come she is in the same form that she had been, back in the past, when the Dark Master had possessed him? Didn't he returned her to normal?

"Cynder... what happened?" asked the purple dragon, wanting to know why she had been transformed. The black dragon slowly stepped backward and sat down... "I was going to ask the same question. Where have you been... for the past three centuries?"

Past... three centuries? The dragon and dragonfly looked at each others, raising an eyebrow. "Okay... I heard that wrong or did she just asked you where you have been those last three centuries?" asked the insect. "I guess we must have both misheard. I mean... three hundred years... that's crazy!" he then turned to the female dragon. "... and how come you're in this form? I thought I had freed you back then!" but then... a thought came to him. "... in fact, what happened to me, to Sparx, to all of Dragon Kingdom!"

Cynder's expression changed to a frown. "What? You aren't serious, I hope."

The gorilla stepped foward and placed himself at the black dragon's side. "It's just as I had feared... Great Spyro... follow me." the primate walked past the purple dragon and then stopped besides the doorway leading inside of the building. The Dark One turned to the three and gestured to them. Spyro and Sparx looked at each others. Well, that is definitely weird. Guess... it was time for an explanation...

Cynder made a few steps but the monkey turned to her and made a gesture. "Stab back." the purple dragon rose an eyebrow. What was that all about. "I must speak with thw two... alone."

The monkey continued and entered into the building proper. The dragon and dragonfly looked at each others. Still seemed fishy... but well, they really needed an explanation too. What had happened? Where was everyone? What was the deal with the statue? Why was Cynder back in this form?

They followed the monkey inside of the room. Stepping through the doorway, they reached the massive circular room where the statue of the legendary dragon hero was. A massive statue that went all the way to the glass ceiling, a ceiling that was so high that...

"Oh dear... no more sugar before going to sleep..." muttered Sparx to himself.

Spyro stopped in his tracks. Before him, the statue of that strange semi-armored dragon was gone... and instead, where it stood, was a massive statue... of him. It was massive, like the last one, himself sitting in a heroic, proud-looking expression, a giant stone dragonfly figure, Sparx, on the dragon statue's shoulder...

The monkey, noticing that the dragon had stopped, turned back to the two. "Follow me. Your questions shall be answered soon enough."

Slowly, getting ahold of himself, the dragon was able to resume his march. "A statue of us? That's... crazy!... but somewhat cool! Glad they FINALLY recognized my role and made a statue of me as well. About time someone noticed I exist!" good old Sparx... he always taunted the purple dragon about being cocky while the dragonfly's ego was equally prone to inflation.

Moving through the room, another doorway at the opposite end leading into another room... a smaller room, one he recognized as well.

Darker than the other rooms yet still bathed in relative light, the room of visions. In the middle, a pond of green liquid magic, the sole point of interest of the room. In the past, during Spyro's time in his homeworld, this room had acted as a meeting place for himself, Cynder, and the Guardians. Speaking of the Guardians... what happened to them? They used to live here...

The dragon and dragonfly, almost instinctively, placed themselves on the sides of the pond while the monkey stopped next to it as well.

A moment of silence... and then, the gorilla stepped foward and bent down, looking down into the Pond of Visions...

Strange... why did that monkey did that? Only dragons have the ability to see into the Pond of Visions... or so thought Spyro. After all, he had never seen any other creature with such powers besides Ignitus...

Slowly, the monkey turned to the dragon, smiled, and stepped backward, away from the pond... "It's just as I thought..."

The purple dragon rose an eyebrow. What was that all about?

"Welcome to the future, great Spyro and great Sparx."

* * *

**To be continued.**


	5. Chapter 4: Adulthood

* * *

**Chapter 4: Adulthood**

* * *

The purple dragon just... just... This is... just crazy. He stood there, eyes widened, not believing a single word. Not a single one!

"So... you're saying that we somehow disappeared for three hundred years and that by now, bad guys took over most of the Realms, fight each others mercilessly, both of us have become legends by now and are believed to be dead, and to top it off, there's this "Dark Master of Dusk" whoever he might be." said Sparx, repeating what the Dark One had explained.

"Yes. I believe that the spell Ripto used to knock you out might have been a crystallization spell, like the one Gnasty Gnorc used, back when you were young. As you were not fully grown yet when you were encased in crystal, you both matured as the years passed... and eventually, the spell was put through too much stress because of Spyro's growth and eventually self-cancelled, releasing you both." continued the monkey.

This was... so unbelievable. He had thought he had been knocked out only for a while... and now, that primate was saying that he had been sealed for three hundred years?... and that he, and Sparx, were now adults?

The reptile looked at his paws... Was this... how it felt to be an adult? Was he truly an adult?... that was... weird. He had often wondered how it would feel to be an adult and now... there he was. He wasn't sure if he was liking it... in fact, he was not even sure it was so different from before. Sure, he was larger and stronger but... he was still Spyro, right? Sparx, too, wasn't THAT different. He was just... larger and louder. Same old Sparx... sorta... maybe...

"Spyro..."

... and if three hundred years really passed... then... three hundred years? He had heard that most creatures only live one hundred years and less... So, what of his friends? Hunter, Bianca, Zoe, Elora, Agent 9, Sergeant Byrd... all his friends... Are they all... gone?

"Spyro!"

... and then... if it is so... why is he so... well... young? Yes, he and Sparx are adults... but he had met many dragon elders in the past and he was nowhere as old-looking as any of them, including the younger ones! Even Red, the fallen Dragon Elder who had been using Dark Gems to steal the vitality of other creatures, had been relatively old in terms of appearances and movements. He and Sparx, on another hand, were perfectly young in terms of appearances and movements. So... why weren't they dead or, at least, really old?

"SPYRO!!!"

... and Cynder... why is she like him? Shouldn't she be really old if three hundred have...

SMACK!

"YEOWCH!" yelped the purple dragon. He stood there, a bit surprised before turning to an angry dragonfly. "Earth to Cloudy Domain: you have the permission to return to the surface!"

Confused, the reptile looked around, wondering what the heck had happened. Who has hit him? Why? Well... he know why but still...

"I am very sorry great Spyro... but if you have questions, you must seek the answers, not lock yourself into thoughts." it's then that he noticed that weird monkey again. As he instinctively brought his right paw to his face to rub his hurting cheek, he had this definite feeling that it was the primate that had smacked him like that.

He wanted to tell that monkey to mind his own business and not to try this again ever again... but then, he was right. It was stupid to just stand there, hoping the answers would come to him out of a sudden. That monkey had explained to him how time had passed and how the world had changed for the worst... so maybe he could explain to him how it was possible that he, Sparx, and Cynder were as they were!

"Hmm... mister... mister..." how embarrassing! He didn't ask the monkey for his name so now, he couldn't complete his sentence! Seeing Spyro hesitate, the monkey interrupted him.

"Blacksword Doomhammer." stated the monkey. Finally! "Well... if what you said is true, mister Blackword..."

"Just Blacksword will do." so much for trying to be polite, for once! Oh well...

"Well, Blacksword... why are we not, you know, really old like the dragon elder... and what about Cynder?" he finished his question, his tone showing that his patience was starting to give away...

"Yeah. I mean... I heard most creatures live only one century at best!... and yet, we're perfectly alright! What's the deal with that?" added the dragonfly, obviously not believing it all too.

The armored primate remained there, his tiny eyes staring at the reptile in a way that shown that he wasn't believing what he was hearing, either. "What? You mean... you don't know?"

"Okay... what's the deal with that? Know what?" asked the purple dragon while Sparx just hovered next to him, eyes narrowed, awaiting explanations that he really didn't expect to be given.

The monkey scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed, sighed loudly, and finally, after stretching a bit and making Spyro's patience REALLY start to strain, finally explained it all. "I thought it was common knowledge... Dragons live a really long time, Great Spyro! A few centuries is nothing for your specie!"

Blacksword tried to continue his explanation... "... and what about me? I'm a dragonFLY you know! Why am I not, you know, dust by now? Huh huh HUH?" ... but was interrupted by Sparx, who was sure he had found a flaw in the monkey's explanation, discrediting him. The purple dragon smiled. The yellow insect had a point...

"If you would have allowed me to finish... I would have been able to explain that since you are bound to a dragon you share that dragon's longevity." judging from his tone and twitching right eye, Blacksword was getting sick of Sparx's constant interruptions... not that one could blame him. Sparx had a way of pushing people's buttons...

But well, regardless of the monkey's emotional state... now they had their answer... well, sorta. It was still hard to believe. In fact... no way they will believe that.

So... dragons live much longer than the average creatures and since he's bound to Spyro, Sparx get a boost in longevity? In a way, it made sense... but only if they assumed that this crazy "stuck in crystal for three centuries" thing wasn't a big fat lie. Oh well...

The purple dragon turned to the exit of the room. All of this was so crazy... and well, he's not ready to trust a random Dark One just like that. But maybe... maybe Cynder can confirm or not what that monkey said? After all, she's a friend. Sure, they didn't see each others in what seemed to be forever but still, he trusted her so completely. Most likely, she would be able to confirm or not...

"I had enough." the purple dragon turned his back to the armored primate and begun to walk toward the exit. The dragonfly hovered there and seeing the dragon leave, begun to hesitate. What was Spyro doing? What was he thinking?

"Hey hey hey! Where do you think you're going?" asked the dragonfly, stopping near Spyro who in turn, stopped in his tracks. The dragon turned and faced his friend, a serious expression on his face... which was uncommon for Spyro.

"Going to test if whatever he said is true." the reply left Sparx perplexed... but it seemed like the reptile wasn't going to listen anytime soon, resuming its march toward the exit.

"Hey hey! Wait for me!" he yelled, catching up with the dragon...

* * *

Spyro slowly stepped out of the temple and into the balcony. Looking at the horizon was a familiar shape... too familiar.

As he stepped toward Cynder, he couldn't help but notice a repetitive sound... like steps, except louder than his. He stopped, looking around...

... nothing to the right... nothing to the left... and strangely enough, the steps seemed to stop too.

Another step... that sound again! Where does it come from?!? Close... it's coming from somewhere close!... in fact...

He looked down and then, made another step, looking at his paws. As his hind legs touched the ground, his weight pressed down on the stone and caused the loud sound. The sound he had heard was his own steps!

For a moment, he felt embarrassed... but then, he had never paid attention to it before. After all, with all the Virii, the long journey to the beach, and meeting Blacksword at that town, he didn't really had the opportunity to...

It was strange... he still couldn't get accustomed to it. Having those weird, large wings and being louder and all... but most of all, the size. He had always been so small and had always felt so small too. For the first time, he was now large, like other dragons. Sure, Cynder was still so gigantic but still... One day, everyone look down on you because of your size and the next, you're larger than everyone else...

Although he would have welcomed the size change any day, the fact is... he felt so... so... so strange. He knew he wasn't that much different and yet... it just felt so... alien. Those wings... those legs... all this strength... this weight... those sounds... Everything felt sharper, clearer too. He had thought that this size increase would make him unable to see the details he could see back when he was younger and yet, it seemed that on the opposite, everything was so much easier to see, less distant, less blurry...

He looked at Cynder.

So... this is how she look, as an adult...

He wasn't sure he was liking it. He had memories of this Cynder... memories of how he had grown to link this form of her with the Dark Master. The sleek, elegant, thin yet so long and incredibly tall frame of the adult Cynder... In a way, it was beautiful... yet, he couldn't help but think of it as a creation of Dark Master, not Cynder's own form. A beauty... but a twisted, dangerous one.

He couldn't quite bring himself to see it as anything else. He knew it was no longer a twisted form, that it was her true shape and that she was free of any control or corruption... but the images of that massive tail spike slamming into his side and sending him flying still haunted him. He still remembered the maniacal glow in her eyes, her frame jumping on its hind legs as it prepared to lash out...

The purple dragon turned to his friend. Sparx... he was... different now too. In a way, he looked identical to father... well, to the one he had once called father. That dragonfly... he wasn't his biological father but it didn't matter. He had been his father... and now, Sparx looked so very similar. The same face, the same proportions... only, Sparx was yellow, had a golden glow, and his now serious-looking face still retained that mocking smile he had grown to associate with Sparx. It was so paradoxal... in a way, he was now so serious in appearance... yet, it was the same childish expression that he always had.

For a moment, he had wanted to ask Sparx something... but all those changes he was beginning to notice was killing the ideas within his mind. He found himself, having nothing to say.

... so... he just turned to Cynder again.

It was so strange... she was no longer THAT gigantic, considering. Well... more like he isn't a very small hatchling anymore but still... she isn't quite as scary as she once was. Also, in a way, he was surprised when he looked at her... It was the same frame he had learnt to fear and yet, there was something different about it. It wasn't as tense as the old one. The expression of rage that haunted the old possessed Cynder was not here. It was the same figure, covered with spikes, so sleek yet black and well, scary... but she was calm and her expression was serene. Wherever he saw rage and the desire for destruction in the old Cynder, there was only peace in this one's figure...

In fact, with that scary expression gone, he could begin to see new details... details he had never noticed before about this form. There was some kind of beauty to it... Cynder seemed strangely graceful... beautiful... majestic, even. It was so strange to him, so unknown... He didn't know how to call half of the words that came to him.

Did... three hundred years really passed? Is this form he have... the form Sparx have... the form Cynder have... are the products of three centuries? Did all this time really pass?

... why is he so hesitant? What is he scared of? He just had to step forward and ask her...

He stepped forward and... nothing. He had this sphere in his throat. He didn't even dare speaking, not wanting to reveal that he couldn't speak. Why? What was happening? This had never happened before!

... no...

... this had happened before... and that was why it was scaring him so much.

"You lost her, Spyro... because you are too "cool" for her." he remembered the words Mighty had spoken.

... what had this been all about? Lost what? How? Why? What had he lost? Ember had always annoyed him... always forcing him into such embarrassing situations and trying to make him do such weird stuff! Why was he still upset about that? Why didn't he forget about it all?

... most of all, why did it hurt so much? Why did he felt tears coming up every time he thought of it? Was was his heart beating so fast? Why is he so... so enraged at Mighty, at himself, at everyone?

This feeling... he didn't know what to call it. It had brought him so much pain in the past... and he didn't want it to be this way ever again!

He turned to the dragonfly who rose an eyebrow, making a gesture that showed that it was growing impatient. "Sp... Sparx... I... I... can't. I... can't." that stupid ball in his throat... stupid stupid stupid!

"What do you mean, you can't? Just ask her already! What's so terrible about asking her if dragons really live three centuries?" replied Sparx, obviously annoyed. Spyro agreed... but he just... couldn't. He was frustrated. Why was can't he just ask her?!? Why is what happened when he met Ember happening now, with Cynder? It had NEVER happened back then, when he was living with Cynder in Dragon Land, before moving to the Dragon Realms! There was no reason this should happen now!

"Is there something wrong?" Spyro almost yelped, startled as the black dragon turned to the two, wondering what the two were doing behind her. The purple dragon found himself sweating and shaking. Heart... beating... so fast... Why... WHY?!?

The insect stared at Spyro and then, rolled his eyes as the reptile just stood there like an idiot. "Well... is it true that three centuries is nothing for dragons? I mean... just wondering..." asked the dragonfly, since it was obvious Spyro was being an idiot.

The black dragon rose an eyebrow, a bit like Blacksword had, and then answered plainly: "Yes. Why?" but then, after a few seconds, the realization came to her. "What? You mean... you don't know?"

The purple dragon and dragonfly stared at each others, both unable to think of a proper answer. Cynder's baffled expression slowly turned into a smile and then, she did something that threw the two completely off-guard: she burst into laughter. No, not maniacal, evil-sounding laughter... but genuine, girly laughter!... well, sorta. It seemed that an adult female laughed quite differently from a young one... or something like that.

She then turned to the horizon, calming down, and decided to look at it some more... "Oh Spyro... I guess it's really you, once and for all! Always so clueless..."

"Clueless?!? She called me clueless? I mean... we didn't see each others for supposely three centuries and that's how she treat me? Sheesh!" The male dragon felt a bit more confident. For some reason, seeing that black dragon do something that unexpected had maybe caught him off-guard but had also cleared that ball from his throat. He also felt his body shaking a bit less...

The insect smiled as he stared at his friend, silent. This look... for some reason, it infuriated the purple reptile. Without noticing it, his shaking became different and he found himself growling a bit despite himself. "Not a word!" he barked at Sparx, hoping he would stay silent... or maybe not. That smile... is frustrating!

The black dragon looked back as the two "brothers" had begun to argue. Yep... three hundred years and still the same. In a way, she was so glad and happy to see him that she had not been able to hold the tears for a good few hours, while Blacksword had been trying to explain to the two that they were now adults... but on another hand... well... she didn't know. It was as if she had expected them to be more... more... more mature? More like the adults they now were?

Spyro... it seemed like he was happy to be an adult... somewhat. He was taking it better than she had thought... but then, it was true that he had always disliked the fact of being small... not that he's so much larger now. She wonder how he'll react when he will learn that he's barely more than half of the size a normal adult dragon should be... Small one day, small always it seemed...

She wondered... why did he act so strangely, just a while ago? What was up with the shaking, the hesitation, and the whole being shy act? She knew that she was an impressive size, a real giant even... but still, she suspected that her size alone was not what had caused him to act like this.

In a way... he was like she had expected. Small, still a bit of a runt although most of his disproportions are now gone. Indeed, his left and right eyes are now the same size and his legs didn't seemed so scrawny compared to his frame. Still, she had imagined him to be a bit less... well... she didn't know how to call him. Cute? Nah... too mature-looking. Cool? That clumsy purple thing? He was small... yes... but his personality was so strong that even just hours after their reunion, he was already taking up all of the space all by himself.

Such a strange male...

She would like so much to sit with him and tell him of everything that happened and to teach him of what it meant to be an adult. She would like to once again live with him, in peace, in the Realm of their birth...

... but those were troubled times.

Sadly, it seemed that it was Spyro's fate to fight. The Virii are advancing... and with the current turn of events, the appearance of the Dragon of the Prophecy is a blessing. Spyro might pretty much be the only hope of the Realms... once again.

... she hated it. She was so big and strong... and yet, what can she do? In the end, it is always up to Spyro and Spyro alone to take all of the responsibilities, all of the pain... Well... him and Sparx. Thankfully, that dragonfly is always with him but still... this is a lot for just two souls...

Watching the scene was Blacksword Doomhammer. He stood by the door, looking at the reptile and dragonfly arguing. In a way, he was disappointed. Spyro and Sparx were, by now, mythical figures, their deeds famous through the Realms... and now, he found out that the two legendary heroes were nothing but immature children trapped in the bodies of adults and disconnected from the world.

... but on another hand... he had felt their aura. He was one of the few creatures who still had the ability to sense magical energies and see visions... and he had felt an overwhelming power in the two.

They seemed immature, true... but he suspected that they might be the key to the victory against the vile Virii that wreak havoc upon the Realms.

Tomorrow... it shall be time. They must find it for only with it will they defeat the Virii. The Black Heart... they must find it, wherever it might be, whoever might have it...

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	6. Chapter 5: The Dark Gem Shard

OFF: Took a while... but the next chapter is ready! I hope you will enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Dark Gem Shard**

* * *

"Blacksword Doomhammer..." repeated Sparx, rolling his eyes. "Those Dark Ones sure like to give themselves ridiculous names!"

It was true... although it wasn't really appropriate to make fun of an ally's name, on another hand. Still, since the monkey wasn't around, Spyro guessed it was okay... and anyway, he DID think it was funny for him to have such an "impressive" name.

In fact... why didn't the two make fun of it back when he was explaining?

Well... Spyro figured out it had to do with the fact of being suddenly catapulted into the future like that... and also the shock of finding out that the world as he knew it was gone...

... oh great... why did he reminded himself of that again?

"Hey." his friends... are all gone...

"Hey!" huh? What? He turned to face Sparx. What was up with the angry look?

... oh... he understood. "Sorry..." slowly said the purple dragon, looking down. The dragonfly sighed, hovering...

"I know that it's weird and bad and all that... but still, we aren't gonna cry a river over it, okay? Not the first time it happens to us, after all..." it was so strange... at times, Sparx was the least mature with all those bad jokes and stupid comments at the worst times possible... and yet, at other moments, whenever the odds overwhelmed him and that he didn't know how to react anymore, Sparx would be there for him. His continued presence was a good thing, indeed...

... and well, Sparx got a point.

Dragon Land, the Realm of their birth... For many months, they lived alongside the four Guardians and Cynder in the Dragon Temple. Days spent exploring, playing, training, and sometimes beating up bad guys too. There were only six of them... but it really didn't matter.

This Realm... a Realm filled with mysteries and ancient legends from ages past. A world filled with the relics of ancient beings, every nook and cranny having its own history. A world deeply connected to fate and magic, visions, dreams, and prophecies written in arcane runes of all types on obelisks, in temples, and in shrines everywhere.

A world to discover... one with enough history behind it to last several lifetimes. When he left Dragon Land and arrived in the Dragon Realms, he left all those he loved behind as well as this world he was born in, this world he loved...

The Artisan Home was one of the many Realms that made up the Dragon Realms... and his first years in this place were painful. Separated from those he loved, he found himself alone with Sparx in a world that was so... different.

The Dragon Realms are worlds with a forgotten history... and nobody cares. The bipedal dragons of those worlds follow traditions without ever wondering where said traditions came from. It is a world where there is no magic, the air devoid of the mystic feel of Dragon Land... a world where the spirits of the past are silent if not entirely missing, the souls of the present walking the path to the future alone. The Dragon Realms are worlds without mystery, without legends. While Dragon Land was filled with secrets to discover, the Dragon Realms offered him beautiful expenses, true... but those were empty and hollow.

It was painful... but he adapted. He got over his initial feelings and lived on... and even came to appreciate his new home. It was different, true... but who said difference was bad? While it lacked the mystery of his first home, his new home had its own advantages for him to discover...

... and now, once again, he leaves his former life behind to find a new one elsewhere.

... and ironically, his third life is to take place in the Realm of his birth... although it has most likely changed much.

The dragon, smiling, slowly nodded at the dragonfly. The dragonfly smiled back, understanding what it meant. No point in being all dramatic and all over it... they will live through it, as they always did, and take advantage of their new life.

"You're right... no point in whining." stated Spyro... although...

"So... what you're wondering about? Don't lie, your face tell me that you're dying to ask something!" said the dragonfly, noticing his friend's expression. The dragon's smile faded as he rebecame serious.

"Yeah... I'm wondering... how do you think our friends' lives went? You know... what happened to them while we were stuck as statues?" asked the dragon. The insect crossed his arms, taking on a mocking expression...

"Well... there's not thousands ways to find out! That monkey seems to know a lot, doesn't he? Let's ask him!" suggested Sparx. Spyro quickly agreed. After all, Blacksword did seemed to know what was going on around here and well, after what happened earlier with Cynder, he will have to think it over before trying to ask her something again. Don't want to have that last embarrassing situation happen all over again after all...

* * *

That huge statue of themselves... they still couldn't get accustomed to it. It was so crazy...

"Ya know... considering how much time we took to do all that we did, it might be safe to assume that we're the beings who took the least time to become legends!" said Sparx, still amazed that his role in his friend's adventures was actually recognized thus earning him a statue on top of the left shoulder of Spyro's statue. Everyone seemed to ignore him most of the time... and yet, in the end, he finds out that people knew all along that he was there, giving his contribution. How ironic...

"You wanted to talk to me?" Spyro turned to face Blacksword, who had entered the room. The dragon decided to forget for a while about the statue and to focus on the reason he had asked the Dark One if he could speak to him.

"Well... I've been wondering... Do you know what happened to all of my friends? You know... Hunter, Bianca, Elora, Agent 9, Sergeant Byrd, Sheila..." asked Spyro...

"... Ember, Flame, Mighty." added Sparx. The dragonfly guessed that Spyro wanted to learn what had happened to all of them. Why Spyro kept on having this weird attitude toward those three was anyone's guess... well, less when it comes to Mighty, who is a moron extraordinaire, but in the case of the two former, Spyro's reaction didn't seem very logical to Sparx.

... and as expected, Sparx's addition caused Spyro to get embarrassed for some unknown reason and to reply sharply. "HEY!" he said. "Whatever." thought Sparx. He can be embarrassed all he want. He'll thank him later, eventually.

"So you want to know what happened to the allies you had through the years..." said Blacksword more to himself than anything else. "... this will be a long story. Will you listen to it?"

A long story. Those three words sent a shiver down the spine of the dragon and dragonfly, remembering the loooooong speeches of the Guardians, back in Dragon Land, and the Dragon Elders, in the Dragon Realms. It wasn't that they had a short attention span... well, they did have a short attention span but still... those speeches were so painfully long and slooow that the two still wondered how they managed to survive these. In a way, it was ironic how hearing a "long story" was a scarier thought than fighting through an army of enraged Gnorcs.

"We... well... can we get the short version?" asked the purple dragon, a large frown showing that he wasn't going to listen to a "long story". He value his sanity and anyway, he'll fall asleep halfway through!

The monkey rolled his eyes, annoyance rising. Those two were acting like immature children!... but then, they never had the opportunity to age mentally so it was to be expected. Oh well... "No. There is no "short version". Either you listen or you don't."

Spyro and Sparx looked at each others, both frowning and shaking their heads. "You know... I don't wanna have a headache. That whole crazy situation we're going through is more than enough, frankly." whined Sparx, summarizing the two's thoughts about the situation.

Such a situation...

What is the lesser evil? To remain ignorant or to go through a "long story"? The two were tempted to pick the ignorance over the "long story"... but then, the fact is... even if their friends are gone, they want to know. They have to know...

So, swallowing their pride, they turned to the monkey and replied: "Fine... we'll listen."

The monkey remained silent for a few moments and then, finally, begun to explain...

"As I had explained earlier... the world changed much in three centuries. After the final battle between you and the wizard Ripto, both of you disappeared. Later, your frozen bodies were found and all attempts to revive you were in vain as you were found too late and as the dragons could no longer sense that you were alive, you were officially considered dead. While I already explained about how..." but then, as the monkey begun his long explanation, Sparx couldn't help but hover forward.

"Yeah yeah! We already know about all that stuff. Now... can you tell us what we want to know?" although Spyro felt like telling Sparx to shut up... fact is, he is right. Blacksword already explained that earlier. They don't need to hear it again! What they want is to know what happened to their friends!

But still... it's a bit... unbelievable, when he think about it... and yet, it's all true or so it seems...

Supposedly, Blacksword had gathered information from various descendants of survivors of what was now know as the Seal Break Disaster.

Indeed... it had seemed that the homeworld had been sealed after they had left... which is why they had never been able to return. But why had it been sealed? Judging by how, the second the portal was opened, Virii hordes came out and destroyed most of the nearby Realms, it was obvious that the homeworld had been sealed due to a Virii infestation.

The homeworld was extra-special... for it was the only Realm from which it was possible to access Convexity, the airlock-like sub-Realm that separated the known Realms from the Dark Realm, the world from which the Dark Master originated and from which, most probably, the Virii came as well.

The Virii... are unlike any creatures anyone had ever seen. They were some kind of parasites that propagated with the violence and speed of a virus, destroying and corrupting everything in their way like a demonic giant-sized plague... hence the name, Virii. They knew neither fear, pain, nor mercy... and they seemingly acted as a collective mind, all acting with such synchronization and intelligence that it was impossible for them to be soulless weapons despite the destruction they caused.

Yet, they were not soulless beings living in a destructive hive mind. The Virii came in various sizes and shapes, each with its own abilities and roles... and some of them are capable of using potent psychic and illusionary powers. Many times, spies were found among the Realms, Virii who were passing themselves as regular beings and were paving the way for future Virii invasions.

No one know why they destroy everything and capture of live Virii spies shown that they have an intelligence that rival that of the greatest scientists and are perfectly capable of individual thought.

In fact... where did they come from exactly? Are they inhabitants of the Dark Realm, creations of a new enemy, or who knows what?

All that is known... is that they are clever, powerful, and destructive.

One thing is sure... the Virii are not the Dark Master's creations.

When the Virii first emerged in the homeworld, long before the portal was unsealed, the Dark Ones waged war against the twisted parasitic hordes. A brutal, violent conflict that lasted for generations. Millions and millions of souls destroying each others...

The Dark Ones' army, once thought to be invincible, held against the invader successfully for many generations... but the Virii were relentless. It didn't matter how many of them were killed. It didn't matter how many fortresses were cast down. It didn't matter what supposed leader was slayed. The Virii always returned, as if their defeats didn't even have a single effect on their plans, stronger than ever. Billions and billions of monstruosities, each more twisted and horrific than the last...

The odds begun to change... and the Virii progressively gained ground. Tired, their numbers decreased by a century of war, their Dark Master leader long gone, the Dark Ones fought a hopeless battle against an overwhelming, indestructible foe.

Most of the Dark Ones fell to the power of the Virii, either slaughtered or turned into what they call "Vorii", decaying zombie-like hosts who lost their minds long ago to the Virii, now "living" as incubators for dozens of Virii larvaes and slaving their lives away in manual work to help in the Virii war effort.

As the coincidence would have it, the seal that had been created over the homeworld weakened when the Dark Ones' civilization was destroyed. The few survivors of the once feared Dark Armies escaped into various Realms, hoping to flee from the mysterious enemy's invincible forces...

But it had only been the beginning of the nightmare...

So... they knew that the Dark Ones had been mostly annihilated and that most Realms had been taken over... but what about their friends? What had happened to them? Blacksword was so very vague during his first explanation when it came to that particuliar subject...

"I do not know what happened to each of them... but I do know what happened to some of them..." Spyro frowned. So the reason the monkey hadn't explained was that he didn't know. Sparx, likewise, rolled his eyes. What a waste of time that was!

The primate, seeing the two's reaction, rose an eyebrow. Again an annoying childish reaction. Can those two just sit down and LISTEN for once? "You will listen or not?" growled the monkey.

The two sighed. Well... it's better to know a part of it than nothing at all... so they nodded.

"Fine. Now, as you know... many years have passed. I do not know what happened exactly to Hunter and Bianca... but I know that the cheetah and the rabbit survived and that although they are long dead, they left descendants behind. This... shall be discussed of later..." begun Blacksword.

So... Hunter and Bianca got through the initial Virii invasion... not that it surprise Spyro. Hunter is... was his best friend, second only to Sparx. He would have entrusted him with his life anytime... and Bianca was not too far off when it came to trust. The bipedal cheetah was more resourceful than one could think at first and the rabbit magician wasn't too shabby either...

Descendants... he wondered... who are they? What do they look like? How will they react seeing an old friend of their ancestor come out of nowhere? Both the dragon and dragonfly wondered...

"Agent 9... I don't really know. I heard rumors that the monkey left early in the conflict to defend his planet and MIGHT be still alive... somehow..." instantly, the dragon's focus returned to the explanation. Agent 9? Still alive? That... would be great news! Really!... and well, for one who claimed not to know much, Blacksword sure seems to know more than it seemed at first...

"Sergeant Byrd, Sheila, Elora... I don't really know about them. I think I heard the names before but aside from that... no." continued the monkey.

Then... he paused.

Spyro waited. Sparx hovered, awaiting the last of the explanation... and soon, Spyro begun looking around while Sparx begun to frown as the pause revealed itself to be, well, long...

... in fact... it was almost a minute since he paused. What was wrong? "Feel free to finish, ya know! We don't mind!" stated Sparx, everybit as bothered as the purple dragon about the issue.

The monkey shrugged... "Hmph... fine then..." why was Blacksword so hesitant? Spyro begun to suspect that he might not like it... but then, he was surprised at how he was so... calm... over this issue. Maybe because he now knew that some of them did survive and that he's not alone in the future. Agent 9 and most definitely Flame and Ember. After all... they're dragons and they were about his age when they were trapped. Most likely, they must be adults as well by now...

"Flame... Ember... and Mighty... did not survive."

They did not... did not...

"Spyro?... Spyro, are you alright? SPYRO! You're creeping me out here!"

The purple dragon turned to the dragonfly... "Are you alright buddy? You look like as if you had seen a ghost or something just now..." Spyro barely heard the question.

That had been... unexpected... and for some reason, it felt really... really... It was as if something had just died within him... or was decaying... or... he didn't know. All that he knew was that he didn't feel good... at all.

... why? They weren't the only ones then. Why was he taking it like this?

... but then, why didn't they live? That was... unfair. They... they should have been there! They are dragons! They should be adults and be by his side! They should be waiting for them somewhere...

... why? Why did they die? Why? WHY?... why is it feeling like this? What's wrong with him?!?

He didn't even take the death of his friends hard and now this... is he heartless? He cannot be possibly be caring more for those two than Hunter!... this is... is all too crazy...

"After you vanished, there were tensions between the dragons and the armadillos, that I know... and soon, the relationships between armadillos and dragons grew sour and the two decided to act on their own, no longer interfering with each others. What happened to Flame afterward is very well-known... He felt that all of his grudge he had held against you, great Spyro, for all of those years was pointless and dedicated his life in protecting the dragons. He died defending the civilization from the Virii invasions." Spyro barely heard the explanation, stuck in his own world. This was all so... so... he couldn't really explain it and it angered him. What was wrong with him?!?

The monkey continued, seemingly ignoring the dragon's reaction... "As for Ember... she remained with Bandit... and well, when the armadillo civilization was overrun, Ember was killed. Well... I'm don... huh?"

The primate rose an eyebrow. Spyro stood there, shaking his head. What was that for? What is he doing? Why does he look... so distressed?

"This is... just... just..." what? Just what? Huh?... tears?

Before Blacksword could say anything, the two had run out of the room...

* * *

On top of one of the temple's towers, a figure stood... Spyro, gripping the top, strange strangled howls escaping his throat, his cries echoing through the horizon...

From the balcony, Blacksword watched, shaking his head... "It has been two hours... It can't be right. Did I say something wrong?"

The black dragon shook her head. "Leave them be. The full shock of what has happened is slamming into them. Please allow them to cope with the loss of all they have ever known..."

The Dark One crossed his arms and sighed. He was a soldier, not a psychologist!... but well, anyway. He just thought that the dragon of legend wouldn't act like that. Sure, he lost his home and his friends... but it could be worse! At least, he's alive. Shouldn't he be thankful for that?... and shouldn't that so-called dragonfly partner of his calm him down? No, he was just hovering next to him, silently glowing in an abnormally pale color. He wasn't very helpful at all.

The monkey growled in annoyance. "What a waste of time... For every minute we waste, the Virii grow stronger. HMPH! He hope he's even half of what he's cracked up to be..." with that said, the primate returned into the temple, leaving Cynder alone.

She continued to watch Spyro and Sparx...

She could understand their pain... the pain of having your world collapse around you. They, as well as herself, had faced it once before, leaving Dragon Land behind... and now, Spyro has to face it again.

In a way, she pitied him... but then, Blacksword had sadly a point. She just hoped that Spyro would quickly recover from the shock... Disgust came to her from the fact that what she wished just now was out of necessity rather than kindness. Hoping he would recover because they need his powers, not because they care for him...

But then, she care for him. He was, along with her, the last of the dragons of Dragon Land. They lived their first years together, after all... and she always felt like she had a debt toward him. After all... she did serve the Dark Master, all those years ago... He could have let her be swallowed by the portal, let her fall into the Dark Realm and suffer the fate she deserved for all the crimes she had committed... but he chose to forgive her and he didn't even hesitate one second. For this... she always felt like she had a debt. Someday... she will repay it. Somehow, she will...

* * *

Gems...

Each Realm is a new timeline, a different version of the same world... and thus, there is an infinity of possible properties.

Yet, gems are about the most consistent of objects. May they fascinate through their glow and smoothness, may they be infused with magical power, or even may they mirror light in ways that no other object can... gems almost always are the "precious stones" of a Realm.

Through the Realms, gems were used for various uses... and in one of them, such an use was for magical purposes.

Light Gems and Dark Gems... known through the Realms, they contain the purest of white and black magic, respectively. Their powers seem to be near infinite...

Light Gems, life-giving crystals that glow with the power of a thousands suns, bathing entire rooms in intense light...

Dark Gems, life-sucking solid black holes that glow with eerie black magic, striping a room of its light and gathering all power within its inner shell, returning none...

Dragons are among the most magical of creatures, their blood infused with the very essence of magic. In fact, dragons, although beings of flesh who live, reproduce, and die as such, can also be born from magic and likewise, mortality is a limit that they can break through.

Dragons... where did they come from? Unlike many species, their evolution remain mysterious, their place on the timeline fragile. For each Realm, a different dragon civilization, like for every other specie... yet, their origin was never defined in any Realm. Such a strange state of affair...

Spyro thought about it all... but most of all, about the heart-shaped Dark Gem shard that was beating within his chest.

He had never given it a thought, frankly... but now... he remembered...

* * *

"Oh come on! Please..." Ember was, strangely enough, not smiling. It was surprising, considering...

But then, he hadn't looked at her since. She had to pursue all the way here... and now, here they are, within the gigantic testing room of Red's laboratory, before the last of the Dark Gems. Red had been defeated and by now, the Professor had left with him. Spyro's friends were still running around, shutting down the fallen Dragon Elder's machines one by one, putting to rest the ancient mechanical halls once and for all...

... and during this time, he stood there, standing before the very last intact Dark Gem, reflecting upon his latest adventure.

Ember... she was persistent. Why he had endured her, he didn't know... but there she was. He had promised her that he would break the last Dark Gem and make a heart out of it... he had promised...

Well, if he don't fulfill the promise, she'll probably give him hell.

... strange. As he looked into the black reflective surface, he could see Ember's image. A young female pink dragon, exactly his size, probably his age too... horns curves backward, a pink scaled body that looked like skin, those bright blue eyes, like the sea, those delicate yellow spiky scales forming a thin, fine line of fake hair on the back of her head and her back, down to the tail... Then, that little golden heart pendant... a sign of royalty, supposedly.

She was gorgeous... he couldn't deny it. She was nice... he couldn't deny it.

But she was so... so persistent... and so... so embarrassing. He became all sweaty when she was getting closer, he frowned and blushed when she acted, he felt terrorized when she referred to him...

"Spyro? Why are you ignoring me?" her tone... was sad... and he hated it. It made him feel so... so...

... this is so ridiculous! He had brushed apart persistent females before. Why was this happening? What was so different about her that he just couldn't tell her to go away like he did with the others?

That smile... he felt so... sad when she cried. It broke his heart when he came back from that swamp and that she had cried herself to exhaustion from worry. He didn't knew why and it weirded him out. He had felt pain before. Massive clubs shattering his bones, his wings twisted by drills, pain coursing his veins as electricity shocked him, black magic draining him of his vitality, blood dripping from his open wounds as swords sliced him apart...

Yet, all of that pain had felt like nothing when he saw Ember cry. He had just felt so... empty... hollow... and most of all, all of his arrogance, all of his selfish attitude... all of it felt so... so vain... so worthless. Suddenly, it didn't mattered how famous he had become thanks to his deeds for he had made a female cry... and he felt like the worst loser in existence at this moment.

He remembered the moment... what he did at this moment. When he had got closer and hugged her. He didn't blush or felt terrorized. He just closed his eyes, wrapped himself around her, and whispered to her... and then, all of the shame, all of his worries, all of the nightmares were washed away in the emptiness.

... the memory was so calm... so peaceful... in the middle of his adventure, among the monsters, the destruction, the death... a peaceful moment where time had stood still.

She embarrassed him so much... but breaking her heart would be worse than anything else.

He decided to fulfill his promise. "Fine... I'll do it."

The female's eyes seemed to light up, as if coming to life... "Re... really?"

The male turned to face her. She was smiling... and it pleased him in such a strange way... it made him want to smile too. "Sure! I promised, didn't I?"

Sparx... many times, he made comments about him being in love. Love? With Ember? Ridiculous! Elora... he had a crush on her before so he knew what love was about! It was a warmth that invaded you, a violent surge. It wasn't this strange, small little nagging feeling! That's... that's... err... well... that's... darn. Can't find the word...

Well, it cannot be love! That's all!

... but then, what was it? It wasn't friendship, hatred, happiness, sadness, annoyance... WHAT WAS IT?!?

This made no sense...

But well, she's smiling and he likes it. The way she stares at him... strangely enough, he didn't felt threatened this time. This stare... it was so weird as well. It wasn't the adoring gaze of fangirls and yet... he didn't know.

Oh well... guess he'll never understand female dragons... Why can't they be as simple as fauns? Oh well...

He slowly lowered his body and then, leaped into the air. A graceful jump... leaping as if taking off, his underdeveloped wings giving him a bigger boost in air time than one might think possible at first.

Time seemed to slow down as he was over the Dark Gem, calculating the angle for slamming into it, shattering it. Unlike the others, he didn't just slam down quickly... no... this will not do. The promise echoed through his mind and he wondered how he would be able to break into it without destroying all of it. He wasn't the Professor or Blink, his nephew. He couldn't guess the angle like this!

He decided to do it in a slightly different angle, as not to damage it too much. Sure, he didn't know if it was the right angle or not... but hopefully, it would leave enough of it intact for him to carve a heart out of the remains...

He folded his wings, curving into a ball to slam down, like he used to do back when he was a hatchling. By now, he had learnt to improvise with his moves, developing new ways to defeat foes. By mixing his horn dive technique, which involved sending himself head-first into the target, with the tail strike, which was to curl into a ball and slam down, he had been able to come up with an attack powerful enough to shatter even the unholy Dark Gems.

He did as so, uncurling violently and sending himself flying straight down... well, almost. He sent himself flying at the planned angle, slightly to the side.

CLANG!

He slammed into the crystal violently. his horns piercing through the smooth surface and weakening the whole structure. Then, his head came into contact with the Dark Gem. Since his horns had struck into the gem with incredible power, severely weakening the integrity of the whole thing, it did not hurt when his head slammed into it. In fact, the Gem shattered into shards on impact, like a fragile glass figurine...

BAM!

The steel floor was another story however. His horns met too much resistance and it felt like two poles slamming into his brain. Then, there was the actual impact with the floor, feeling as if someone had brought down a giant club on his head.

The dragon dropped to his side, slightly dizzy, as usual. This attack was maybe stronger than his regular cannonball-like drop tail strike... but slamming your head against the floor violently does leave you dizzy for sure... which was unpleasant. But then, it didn't really hurt a lot, despite it all. It did hurt... but it was not in the brain-squishing way of receiving an actual club in the face. It was just... the minor headache that left after a few seconds and left you with a spinning world for a few seconds.

But he wouldn't feel the headache, not this time. He quickly shook his head to try and shake off the dizziness and then, got back up quickly. He turned back to where the Dark Gem once stood, hoping for the best...

The Dark Gem had totally shattered, leaving shards everywhere. Already, the shards had turned dark blue, the dark magic leaving them. For a moment, he was afraid he had failed.

He approached the remains... and slowly, her claws brushing against the metallic floor, so did Ember...

In the center of the remains, the core of the Dark Gem was left intact. A small cracked prism of beautiful, eerie, purplish black reflective gem...

Upon grabbing it, the prism seemed to disintegrate, shards dropping off it... and left him with a shard the exact size of a heart in his hand. In fact... it seemed like fate had been on his side. The shard was the perfect shape of a heart. He looked at it from all sides... and he was baffled at how perfect it was. No cracks, no traces of any flaws... a perfectly shaped heart made out of a Dark Gem shard, pulsing with black magic, much unlike the other shard which lost their power quick enough...

"It's so... beautiful..." said Ember, tears coming to her eyes. But this time, it did not upset him. He could guess her happiness, both in her stance, her eyes, her tone... and he understood why. She had waited for such a long time...

He grabbed into the heart and pulled. The shard was quickly and effortlessly split into two identical sides. Again, no traces that it was split in such a way... not even a single shard dropped off it. It was so... strange. Yet, in a way, it was so convenient as well...

"Here you go. Done it, like promised..." he said, handing the female the left half.

The female grabbed into it and her smile became smaller but this was not a bad thing. She was smiling sweetly by now, blushing, eyes half-closing in satisfaction. For a second, he had expected her to jump around wildly in happiness... so seeing her remain like this was surprising him.

"Thank you... Spyro..." she said. Such a strange, quiet moment. He found no sarcastic comment, no joke, no subject to switch to... and he found it to be a right thing to do either. Such seriousness... it had been so long since he had taken seriously... yet, he did not feel nervous or anything. It was just... so natural... so peaceful...

... and then, she kissed him on the cheek.

It had been so sudden and yet, so slow at the same time. He felt... so weird... He couldn't find the words and he felt so... so... so nervous anew. He turned to her and saw her blushing, looking away from him on purpose, holding into the shard tightly and yet, with utmost care. This female... he found himself blushing and a hurricane was raging within him.

What was this feeling? It had sparked up and as he found himself with his face turning the same color as hers, it took on a form that was so similar to love he could swear it was love... but he knew it wasn't love. He's not the shy type! He know it! So it can't be love! Besides... he mustn't forget! She might be cute and sweet and all... but he know she'll embarrass him! He... he...

He held into his half and looked down at it. Why did he do this, she annoy him! Why? Why... WHY?!?

This shard... WHY?!? Why is he so stupid, agreeing to do this to a STUPID female that BOTHER him? Him, the GREAT Spyro? Why is he bothering with a RETARDED FANGIRL?!?

... why... is he feeling so conflicted? It was not this way with Elora... it... it never was...

... why can't he think of words, of a name, OF ANYTHING? Why...

"Spyro? Are you alright?" worry... He hated when she was worried. Why? Why did he care for her when he didn't see her as a friend or as his sister? Why... why...

"HEY! Where are you going?" he... he didn't know... He... he just wanted to run... He didn't understand. What was this feeling? Love? NO! Can't be... Love is not like this... Wha... what is it...

"SPYRO!" he had already left the room... and he was running... running... running...

Sparx, Hunter, Sergeant Byrd, Blink... anyone. To chase the feeling away, to forget... It scared him so much to be ignorant of this feeling. One second peaceful, one second burning him from the inside. He... he didn't know what it was. He wanted it to go away... no, he wanted it to stay... no, he... He wanted to know...

He didn't throw away the shard, he couldn't. However, there was nowhere where to place it as he didn't wear anything. So... he just held it against his chest...

He held it the whole time... but when he finally made it out of the hall, the shard was gone. Di... did he drop it?!?

... thump thump... thump thump...

One half of a Dark Gem shard, beating like a heart in synchronization with its other half... two shards in two chests, one heart... both oozing with strange power...

* * *

Sparx hovered there, his frown indicating to him all he needed to know. The dragonfly slowly shook his head... "Been a while since I saw you howl to death like that, dude... and frankly, I'm glad you don't do that too often at all..."

The purple dragon looked down. He felt so dizzy and his eyes were burning. He felt as if something had been stripped from him... something important. All those feelings...

In a way, he was ashamed. He, the great and mighty Spyro, howling and crying on top of a tower like a lost child?

... but then, he just wasn't sure. There was so much unsolved situations he had left behind. He was realizing it now.

One such issue was Ember... and it was a pretty major one. He could never figure what was that feeling that had been plaguing him and why he felt so bad when she went for Mighty. He knew it wasn't love. After all, love isn't like that. He knew it wasn't friendship, she annoyed him. It wasn't... err... he just didn't know and now that she's gone, he will never know...

... strangely enough... he was more bothered by the fact that she was gone than by the fact that he would never be able to identify what he felt for her, whatever it was. Not that it matters...

Now... he can't stay on this tower and howl to death for all eternity, can he? The Virii...

... the Virii...

A warm feeling rose... but it was not a good one. It was rapidly growing in intensity and he recognized it. It was... rage, hatred, anger. A force that burnt from the inside, the desire to kill, the will to destroy. The Virii... they destroyed his home... and now, he want nothing more than to repay the favor.

Tears will not restore his world. Neither will standing there. Destroying those who brought ruin might not bring what was lost back... but it will be a good thing and besides, he needs a reason to live this new life of his.

He was born the Chosen One... the dragon of the prophecies, chosen by Fate itself. In his veins, potent power flowed. Within his heart, righteous fury burns...

To free the Realms from the threat of evil beings, such is his destiny... and it is one he embrace...

"Sparx... what do you see if we had a Virii barbecue?" asked the dragon to his friend, although not turning to face him.

The dragonfly rose an eyebrow, wondering if Spyro had went crazy... although seeing him get ahold of himself was nice. "Something's wrong, dude? Remember what happened last time?"

The dragon turned around. Already, he had recovered... "Yeah... but we got some help this time!"

The dragonfly crossed his arms, sighing... "I see... Well, guess we can't sit around all-day either..."

"Yep!" replied the purple reptile, nodding. "Those stupid bony things will learn not to mess with Spyro the Dragon!"

"Hero one day... hero always..." muttered Sparx under his breath, as if it was a bad thing... but considering how it means they'll head into somewhere crazy and do something wicked, as usual, it was. Why can't that dragon do something SAFE for once?

... hmmm...

Scratch that. What's the fun in sitting back in a safe spot? Bad guys kickin' time!

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
